CPRE publishes new briefing on value of local planning committees

The Planning & Infrastructure Bill is set to curb the role of local planning committees and place new limits on local democracy.

A new briefing published by CPRE sets out how government proposals to limit local planning committees will harm democratic oversight without addressing the real causes of the housing crisis.

Local planning committees are made up of elected representatives. They consider planning applications with the greatest potential impact, and give communities a chance to speak. These decisions often involve projects that could significantly change the local area. CPRE’s research shows that only 4% of planning applications are considered by a committee. The rest are decided by a single unelected planning officer.

Restricting the role of local planning committees will not fix the housing crisis. The real problem lies with large housebuilders. Together, they are hoarding planning permission for over a million unbuilt homes. They release these homes slowly, keeping prices high and prioritising profit over affordability.

Our briefing warns that giving planning officers sole decision-making power could weaken developer accountability. As a result, developers may more easily abandon commitments to build affordable, high-quality homes.

However, the briefing also highlights a successful model from Shropshire Council. In 2024, the council delegated 97% of planning applications to officers. Despite this, they exceeded government targets for decision speed and approval rates.

CPRE is urging the government to maintain planning committees’ role in locally significant cases, hold big developers to account and establish ambitious and enforceable targets for genuinely affordable homes on the UK’s plentiful supply of shovel-ready brownfield sites.