Centralising decisions on planning is not the answer

July 2026

For over two decades we have had government after government promising to tackle house building that is genuinely affordable and with the right infrastructure to make them real homes in real communities. All the plans have fallen short of their ambition.

The target announced in Parliament in 2024 for 1.5m new houses to be built over five years is another such challenging target. What has changed is the centrist approach being taken to reach the target.

New legislation (Planning and Infrastructure Bill) and planning reforms (National Planning Policy Framework) have been produced but with little or no commitment to the necessary financial, resources or legislative support to local government to make sure the targets are met.

Mandatory house building targets have been announced that double the number of houses that are to be built each year - with the expectation that the powers for local decision making will be overridden by Ministers if the targets are not met or if local ambition desires higher standards on house quality, higher numbers of affordable houses or more green space.

Further legislation is requiring that councils (such as Stratford District Council) must delegate planning applications to officers rather than to democratic planning committees, which risks eroding public trust in local planning. Councillors, in future, will have no input to critical design matters nor to the variation of crucial agreements for S106 funding.

Already government intervention has been made at one council (Torbay Council) after their Local Plan fell short of guaranteeing the mandatory housing number target. Nine other councils have had their local decision-making powers removed for large development planning applications after councillors refused planning permissions.

The data shows that we do need more housing, particularly genuinely affordable housing - but in the past development has too often been poorly aligned with infrastructure plans including the provision of schools, public transport, leisure services and healthcare. These decisions are made by different bodies, on different timeframes and at different scales. Local government needs sufficient powers to pull these together.

Too often local areas have not shared in the decision-making process and the removal of government grants for Parish Council led Neighbourhood Development Plans was an example of weakening community involvement, where Stratford-on-Avon District Council has had to step in to fill the gap.

There is a justified fear that house building will put pressure on existing services and that the required infrastructure needed to support communities will be lacking. So, if local residents are to be positive about growth in the number of houses in their area, there must be tangible benefits with more central investment into meeting local needs.

There is also public concern that a repeated weakening of national planning policy on environmental and other protections could lead to more speculative and poor-quality development in the wrong places.

Centralising planning decision-making powers is not the answer to meeting housing commitments. Local communities must be consulted. Local Plan making must remain in local government hands. Councillors and the communities they represent must not become bystanders in the development of their neighbourhood.

If Government wishes to deliver their vision it must include the means to ensure that councils have the capacity, financial resources and authority to turn vision into reality. It requires a partnership between national and local government - and it also requires leadership, both locally and nationally.