Safety Fears As New Planning Rules Set To Take Effect

There are fears for the safety of Harborough councillors and planning officers under new Government planning rules which will see more applications decided without debate.

From November, more applications – including house extensions and some small housing developments, which can be controversial – will be decided by planning officers rather than elected councillors.

The Government says the changes are designed to help “boost housing supply”.

Cllr Michael Rickman, portfolio holder for Community Safety, raised concerns about the potential knock-on effect at last night’s full council meeting:

He suggested the council should look at additional safety measures for officers and members, like supplying them Ring doorbells.

Change take effect from November

Cllr Neil Bannister also spoke about the issue and his concerns:

The Government reforms have also been criticised by other councillors.

Deputy council leader Phil King described them as a “destruction of democracy”, while Cllr Peter James also raised concerns about the impact of removing more applications from planning committees:

Councillors voted reluctantly to amend the council’s constitution to allow for the changes to take effect.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Local say from communities and councillors continues to be critical in how new homes and infrastructure are built.

“Our plans will modernise planning committees to improve efficiency over decisions so that planning applicants have the clarity they need, and we can deliver quicker for local people.”