Paul Steedman, CPRE: We are at risk of losing local voices in planning
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Everyone should have the right to help shape the place where they live. However, as we start 2025, there are significant changes taking place which could lead to the loss of local expertise and local voices.
In December the Government published the final version of its new planning rules, and the mandatory housing targets that go with them.
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Hide AdThis led to significant increases in housing targets for several districts, including a 72% increase in Chichester and a 10% increase in Arun.


However, the Government is not stopping there when it comes to shaking up the planning system.
This year will see a new Planning Bill in parliament. The Government has already published some ‘working papers’ giving a flavour of where this Bill is heading.
It looks set to include radical changes to the role of local council planning committees.
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Hide AdCurrently, each council sets its own rules for who decides planning applications. Most planning decisions are made by trained planning officers.
However, in most councils, if a certain number of objections are received, a planning committee of elected councillors must make the decision.
This gives community campaigns the power to ensure councillors make the final decision on controversial applications.
Under the new proposals, a single ‘scheme of delegation’ would mean every council has the same set of rules for who decides planning applications.
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Hide AdOne suggestion is that this will no longer be based on the number of public representations. Instead, if an application complies with the local plan, officers will make the decision.
And who will decide if an application complies? Well, probably the officers themselves...
This would cut local councillors out of many decisions. It would also remove the opportunity for local objectors to appear before planning committees to make their case, even when applications are controversial.
At the same time, the English Devolution White Paper proposes the creation of new strategic mayoral authorities.
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Hide AdThis would mean scrapping the current ‘two-tier’ system of local government.
West Sussex County Council, East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council have already applied for the fast-track creation of a mayoral authority for the historic Sussex area.
The county councils have also asked for the postponement of this year’s local elections, pending plans for ‘unitarisation’.
We don’t know exactly what this will look like yet. However, in West Sussex it would likely mean the end of district councils with powers being combined into a single council.
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Hide AdThere are things to be welcomed about a more strategic approach to planning and transport right across Sussex.
However, there are also significant reasons to be concerned that local expertise and local voices will be lost.
The power to shape the place that we live in should be a fundamental right – CPRE Sussex will continue to support communities to get their voice heard.
Find out how you can get involved at https://www.cpresussex.org.uk/what-we-care-about/what-gets-built-and-where/