East Herts councillor warns new planning policies could fuel accusations politicians are in developers’ pockets

The chair of East Herts Council’s planning committee is concerned new Government policies will fuel accusations that politicians are in developers’ pockets.

Last week, Labour announced proposals for more decisions on whether housebuilding can go ahead to be taken by local authority officers, rather than elected members. The aim is to speed up the process and “give greater certainty” to developers.

The plans have met with a mixed reaction from Hertfordshire politicians.

Some, such as North Herts Council’s planning chair, Labour’s Cllr Elizabeth Dennis, have welcomed proposals for a nationally standardised scheme.

Others have raised concerns, with Broxbourne’s Conservative MP Lewis Cocking describing them as an “attack on democracy”.

One option being considered is for decisions on developments that align with an area’s Local Plan – the blueprint for future housebuilding – to be delegated to officers by default. Other options mean smaller developments could also be delegated, though the proposals are still at an early stage.

Currently, planning policy varies between authorities, with different councils having different rules and practices for which planning applications are decided by committees.

The Government has said there are “a number of issues with how committees operate” and said some of their decisions which are overturned at appeal “cause unnecessary delays, cost and uncertainty”.

Cllr Dennis said the Government’s proposals were “a step in the right direction” and would help end the existing “uncertain patchwork” of local rules.

She also supported the idea of new sub-committees for the most important developments to “help free up planning committee time to deal with the most contentious and finely balanced applications”.

Cllr Dennis said the current system meant the council was “struggling to find sufficient time for committees”, with North Herts having to hold two planning meetings per month rather than the one it used to hold.

Other Labour politicians, including Hemel Hempstead MP David Taylor and Cllr Claire Parris, chair of Stevenage Borough Council’s planning committee, have also backed the changes.

Mr Taylor said the proposals were about “streamlining the planning system to ensure that trained, professional planning officers take the appropriate decisions and elected members get to focus on the largest and most controversial applications”.

“Where appropriate, local councillors, with advice from trained planning officers, should of course have a say on major outline applications,” he added.

Cllr Parris said the changes “allow for applications which meet our policies to move forward more quickly”.

She added that they should “allow for committees to focus on those applications which do not follow Local Plan and National Planning Policy Framework policies” and may “benefit from a detailed discussion”.

Cllr Parris said the “ethos” behind the changes is to “champion good growth and deliver new homes and jobs for our residents”.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the reforms have been welcomed by Borehamwood-based housebuilder Griggs Homes, whose land and planning director, Oliver Myrants-Wilson, said the proposals were a “positive step”.

“Letting officers take the lead on certain decisions, alongside the valuable input of planning committees, could help speed things up and provide much-needed clarity for developers,” he said.

“It’s encouraging to see a focus on expertise and consistency, which means we can spend less time waiting and more time building.

“With the housing crisis continuing to affect so many, changes like this are vital to getting on with delivering the private and affordable homes people desperately need.”

A common theme among committee chairs was backing for mandatory training for planning committee members, with Cllrs Dennis and Parris both expressing their support.

The Green Party’s Cllr Steven Watson, chair of East Herts Council’s development management committee, also backed mandatory training and said he welcomed any approach to ensure committee members’ knowledge was up to scratch.

He agreed on the need for Government policy: “Everyone likes the idea of more homes, but not in their area. So you do need national policy to solve what is a national problem.”

But he was more sceptical on the specifics: “I’m not 100% opposed to delegating on things in the Local Plan, but there should still be room to call in controversial applications.

“Being a planning committee member is a difficult job, as you sometimes have to vote against your heart… you have to work within the policy.

“But it’s about democratic oversight. It’s important for residents to know their elected representatives have looked at reports and asked questions about developments taking place in their area.”

Cllr Watson was concerned that more decisions made outside of public meetings could add fuel to social media comments, already common, accusing councils of being in developers’ pockets.

A similarly cautious approach to the reforms has been taken by the Liberal Democrat leader of St Albans City & District Council, Cllr Paul de Kort. He is also chair of its planning policy committee.

He said it was “positive” that the proposals continued to suggest a “Local Plan-led” system: “We believe in that because democratically elected and accountable councillors have put that together. “The process is done in public and is open to criticism.”

Cllr de Kort added: “I know [the Government] wants more certainty. I agree with that because I agree we want more houses built – there’s a housing crisis. I can see what the Government is trying to achieve, but I’m very concerned about whether they understand it practically.”

He raised, for example, the issue of Section 106 payments – legal agreements for contributions from developers to nearby infrastructure agreed during the planning application process.

Cllr de Kort said they were “a negotiation” and added: “Although that will often take place between officers and the developer, at the end of that process is what’s put forward in the planning application.

“Are councillors not going to get any say on the terms that have been agreed? There doesn’t seem to be any ability for somebody to say ‘Have you really done the best deal you can? Is this money being spent in the right place?’”

Others have been more outspoken in their criticism. Lewis Cocking, Conservative MP for Broxbourne and former leader of Broxbourne Borough Council, said: “Taking local people out of the process is an attack on democracy, as it hands more power to unelected council officials who can’t be held accountable.”

Victoria Collins, Liberal Democrat MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, suggested the announcement – alongside proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework – showed “the Government is continuing to ignore local communities like ours”.

She has called on the Government to “recognise the importance of getting local communities on board to deliver homes we need”.

It remains to be seen which reforms will be taken forward. The Government has said a formal consultation would be held prior to any legislation passed.