Councillors, make your voice heard on planning
How can a Councillor make their voice heard on planning applications without calling them in?
Proposals from the Government show a canny knowledge of how councillors think and act. It is almost as if some of the ministers have been councillors for many years (spoiler alert: they have – Steve Reed was not only Leader of Lambeth but also a senior and vocal Local Government Association member). One key proposal is to the scheme of delegation, making planning applications fall into one of two buckets:
Tier A are always delegated to officers. These include householder applications, minor residential schemes (up to 9 dwellings), minor commercial development, and “secondary applications” such as reserved matters, non-material amendments, approval of conditions, prior approvals and lawful development certificates.
Tier B are delegated by default, but could be referred to committee if the Chief Planning Officer and Committee Chair agree that a “gateway test” is met. In all likelihood most if not all will be brought to committee, but note this is a minority of all applications. This tier includes larger applications, more significant variations to conditions, applications involving the council itself, councillors, or officers, and reviews of mineral planning conditions.
A councillor or a parish/town council will not be able to “call in” tier A applications to have them determined by committee. At times local knowledge can result in better applications or refusal on sound grounds, but committee call-in is usually not the best way to do this. “Call-in” is invoked at the very end of the process, when the best opportunities to shape things occur early on.
Let’s be clear: if you do nothing except call stuff in and speak at planning, you are more peacock than politician. Stop it.
Sometimes I have heard of councillors using call-in powers to please the crowd. Applications that attract opposition are often something a councillor can use to grandstand at planning committee, though this can backfire if arguments are poorly prepared or if there are no planning reasons to object. Sorry councillor, “I just don’t like it” has never worked, and makes you look foolish when the council loses thousands at appeal. Will your constituents thank you if you whip up a misguided campaign and end up costing the council – and the taxpayer – money in legal fees? What’s more, if you go to appeal you will lose your ability to negotiate community benefits which can be substantial, along with slowing the delivery of much-needed homes.
Here are the ways you can still make a difference, and shape your community in a better way than just providing a performative peroration for the cameras and the crowd.
Know your area. Know the community, their needs and aspirations, and be prepared to champion them and speak up for them. Be consistent, realistic and logical, and patient in making them happen.
Engage the developer early. If they don’t come to you, go to them. If you don’t know what they have to offer, how can you pursue your objectives?
Your submission in writing to the application, when posted on the council site, carries extra weight as the local councillor. Don’t waste it. If you think of something else, send in a second comment.
If needs be, gather supportive comments from people you represent, and get support from community groups and clubs. What do young people and others whose voices are seldom heard think about it, and want for their community? With your backing they can be heard and carry weight.
Consider working with, not against, the developer. You can get great results if you are seen not merely to be obstructive.
Ask your planning team at the council for help. If your gut tells you something is wrong, they can help explore solutions – or reasons to object that carry weight. Always remember that they are full-time specialists and experts with qualifications.
Finally, and possibly most importantly, get engaged very early on in the Local Plan. If the policies and sites in the plan match your vision for your patch, then applications which meet the community aspirations should follow.
