Hackney Council is set to significantly alter the powers and structure of its Planning Committee, elevating it to a standalone committee and redefining which decisions are made by councillors and which by officers. The changes, driven by new national legislation, aim to streamline the planning process and align Hackney with common practices among local authorities.
The Constitution Committee met on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, and agreed to recommend these substantial changes to Full Council. The reforms are a direct response to the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, which comes into effect on October 31, 2026. This legislation introduces new rules regarding the size and composition of planning committees, the delegation of planning functions to officers, and mandatory training for committee members.
A key aspect of the overhaul is the elevation of the Planning Sub-Committee to a full committee in its own right, moving away from its current status as a sub-committee of the Corporate Committee. This change reflects the importance of planning decisions within the borough.
The new framework will introduce a National Scheme of Delegation,
categorising planning applications. Some will be automatically determined by officers, while others will be subject to a gateway process. Under this scheme, householder applications, minor residential and commercial developments (1-9 dwellings on a site of less than 0.5 hectares), discharge of conditions, reserved matter approvals for non-phased development, lawful development certificates, and biodiversity gain plans are among the types of applications that will be automatically determined by officers.
This gateway process will involve a nominated officer and a nominated member of the Planning Committee deciding whether an application should be heard by the committee. This decision will be based on whether the application raises 'one or more issues of economic, social or environmental significance to the local area; or one or more significant planning matters having regard to the development plan and any other material considerations.'
If there is no agreement between the nominated officer and member on whether these criteria are met, the case must be delegated to officers. The report presented to the Constitution Committee, available in the Public reports pack Tuesday 21-Jul-2026 17.30 Constitution Committee, noted that these changes are not expected to have direct financial implications. However, a revised balance of applications considered by the committee could lead to a reduction in the number of cases brought before it.
The proposed new Planning Committee will be elevated to become a committee in its own right, rather than a sub-committee of the Corporate Committee. The Council will decide whether to retain the current membership of 10 (plus substitutes) or change that to some other number, subject to a legally imposed maximum of 13 members. The current Planning Sub-Committee has 10 members.
Councillor Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Inclusive Neighbourhoods, was noted as the Chair of the Constitution Committee for the Municipal Year 2026/27. Councillor Rolf Dekker was nominated as the Vice-Chair, pending approval by Full Council.
