Residents Lose Voice in Planning Decisions

Residents will lose the chance to speak up on certain planning applications under controversial government reforms due to come into force next month.

Under a new national scheme of delegation, more planning applications will be decided by Bracknell Forest Council's planning officers rather than elected councillors on the planning committee.

Councillors at a governance and audit meeting warned this will reduce public involvement. Currently, applications can be referred to the planning committee if a councillor requests it for a valid planning reason or if an application attracts more than five objections from separate households or organisations, which lets the public attend and speak. Under the new regulations, those routes disappear.

Applications will instead be assessed by a "gateway test" to see if they raise economic, social or environmental issues, with only some schemes going before councillors.

Cllr Christoph Eberle asked: "So unless the application is deemed to be significant, it won't come to council and there won't be an opportunity for the public to speak?" Jo Male, assistant director for planning, said that was correct and said the government guidance was "clear" that the number of public objections would no longer be a deciding factor.

Councillors warned the paperwork gives no clear definition of what "significant" means and could leave decisions open to legal challenge. The officer said: "I think you are right."

Cllr Tina McKenzie-Boyle called the proposals "total madness". She said: "We know our neighbourhoods and we know our areas." A councillor also described the arrangements as "clear as mud".

The committee voted unanimously to recommend the constitutional changes to full council. Councillor Paul Bidwell said: "It is a very, very important subject. The meeting on October 1 will be a long one because it is not straightforward and I think members need to be satisfied that the checks and balances are in place." Cllr Eberle added: "We've aired our issues. The proof will be in the pudding. This is going to get a lot of engagement from parish councillors and residents."

The changes are required to comply with new national planning regulations coming into force on October 31. Government guidance says the reforms aim to create greater consistency in planning decision-making and allow planning committees to focus on proposals considered most significant to their local area.

Katie French, Local Democracy Reporter