Hackney Council's Planning Committee is set to gain standalone status, moving from its current position as a sub-committee of the Corporate Committee. This change aligns the borough with practices in other local authorities and acknowledges the significance of planning decisions.
The move is a response to new legislation, the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, which comes into effect on 31 October 2026. This legislation introduces reforms concerning the size and composition of planning committees, the delegation of planning functions to officers, and mandatory training for committee members.
The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 introduces reforms focusing on the size and composition of planning committees.
However, officers are of the view that there is no need to change the current size of the Committee, which has worked well for many years, or the training programme. The legally imposed maximum for committee members is 13, and the Council will decide whether to retain the current membership of 10 (plus substitutes) or change that to some other number, subject to this maximum.
The proposed new Terms of Reference will clarify which planning applications are to be determined by officers and which will be considered by the Planning Committee. A key element is the introduction of a National Scheme of Delegation,
which categorises applications. Some applications must be determined by officers, while others are presumed to be delegated unless specific criteria are met, or if the nominated officer and member agree they should be referred to the Planning Committee.
This revised delegation scheme is intended to lead to a more efficient process. In the interests of efficiency, clarity, and transparency, the Terms of Reference set out in Appendix 1 of the Public reports pack Tuesday 21-Jul-2026 17.30 Constitution Committee will clarify which applications will automatically be referred to the Planning Committee.
The nominated officer and nominated member will consider if a Schedule 2 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 consideration
to determine if it should be referred to the Planning Committee. This forms part of the gateway test
for Schedule 2 applications.
The report suggests that this revised balance of applications considered by the committee might lead to a reduction in the number referred to the Planning Committee, implying potential efficiency gains.
The Monitoring Officer will be given delegated authority to finalise the Terms of Reference and any consequential amendments to the Planning Code of Conduct. Additionally, the Monitoring Officer will be empowered to amend the Terms of Reference of the Corporate Committee to remove references to planning functions.
The report detailing these changes indicated no direct financial implications, though a revised balance of applications considered by the committee might lead to a reduction in the number referred to the Planning Committee.
