This week, the government dropped two big ones: a new technical consultation on planning committee reform and a new technical consultation on site thresholds.
And if you were tuned into BBC Radio this morning, you might have caught it already doing the media rounds - a sure sign it’s more than just a dry policy doc.
So what’s going on? And what does it mean for developers, planners, and consultants trying to unlock small sites, or navigate the now-not-so-new rules around Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)?
Let’s dig in.
What's the consultation about?
Planning committees are the local democratic gatekeepers deciding what gets built where. But, as we all know, outcomes can be a bit of a postcode lottery - different areas, different committees, different decisions. To address this, the government is proposing a set of reforms aimed at making planning committees more consistent, professional, and effective.
The key proposals up for discussion include:
- Delegation: Giving planning officers more powers to decide on straightforward applications, so committees can focus on the big, tricky ones.
- Committee Size and Composition: Changing how committees are structured - potentially making them smaller and more focused.
- Mandatory Training: Ensuring every committee member knows their planning principles inside out (because good decisions require good knowledge).
And in a separate but related consultation, the government’s looking at redefining site thresholds.
Right now, any scheme of 10+ homes counts as a Major application - whether it’s 10 homes or 500. The new proposals would introduce two additional categories:
- Very Small Sites (<0.1 hectares)
- Medium Sites (10–49 homes)
This would allow planning applications to be assessed more proportionately - with the right level of scrutiny, assessment and reporting requirements (including for BNG), and decision-making route based on scale. A much-needed update that could help unlock smaller, more deliverable sites without unnecessary delays.
Why now?
Planning is local - it should reflect communities’ voices. But when committees get bogged down in routine decisions, or when members aren’t fully trained, it can cause delays and frustration for everyone involved. The government’s reforms, announced in the recent Planning and Infrastructure Bill, are designed to speed up the build-out of quality homes and give applicants confidence that decisions are timely and well-informed.
Quick summary of the consultation scope
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In short, the consultation is looking for views on:
- How delegation should work - what should be decided by officers vs. what needs input from committees.
- How planning committees should be sized and composed.
- How mandatory training should be delivered and certified.
What about Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and small sites?
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The consultation also touches on important knock-on effects for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and the delivery of small sites. With committees potentially focusing more on complex or contentious applications, there’s a risk that smaller developments and environmental considerations like BNG could get less direct oversight or face delays if delegation rules aren’t carefully balanced. The proposed changes to the site size thresholds could allow oversight and reporting requirements to be focussed at developments of an appropriate size, allowing a more granular approach than is currently possible.
This is a crucial point for developers and planners to watch. Getting the balance right means ensuring that the vital green infrastructure goals - like delivering measurable biodiversity improvements - aren’t sidelined in the rush to speed up decision-making. Similarly, small sites, which play a key role in housing supply, need to avoid getting lost in the shuffle as committees streamline their workload.
What's next?
LandTech will be keeping a close eye on this consultation; these reforms could shake up planning decision-making and affect how you interact with local authorities.
If you work in development or planning, now’s your chance to have your say.
