Greenwich Council has formally adopted new rules governing planning application delegations, a move that will see a significant shift in decision-making power from elected councillors to council officers.
The changes, approved by the Council on Wednesday 23 September 2026, are a direct response to new government legislation, the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026, which comes into effect on 31 October 2026.
Under the new regulations, many routine planning applications will now be determined solely by planning officers. This includes Schedule 1 applications, which encompass smaller-scale developments such as householder extensions, minor residential and commercial developments, Certificates of Lawfulness, and non-material amendments. This aims to streamline the planning process, reduce backlogs, and allow Planning Committees to focus on more significant and controversial developments.
Criteria for Delegation The Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026 introduce a national scheme of delegation. Schedule 1 applications will be automatically delegated to planning officers. Schedule 2 applications, which raise significant economic, social, or environmental issues for the local area, or significant planning matters, will be subject to a gateway test. This test involves the Chair of the Planning Committee and the Chief Planning Officer deciding together whether an application should be referred to the Planning Board or Local Planning Committee. If agreement cannot be reached, the decision will be taken by an officer under delegated authority. The number of objections received will no longer solely determine if an application goes to committee; the focus will be on the significance of planning issues.
Transparency and Public Engagement
While many routine planning decisions will be delegated to officers, the council states that Every resident can still comment on every application. Every objection must still be considered.
Publicly available reports will accompany each decision made by officers, providing clear oversight of the process and reasoning behind each case. Councillors will still have a role in setting planning policy through the Local Plan and determining significant applications at committee.
Impact on Timelines and Backlogs
The changes are intended to allow Planning Committees to focus on more significant applications
and stop pretending the only way to be heard is to drag every contested application into a committee room, slowing down the process and undermining confidence.
The aim is to make Decision-making faster and more predictable, reducing delays caused by applications being referred to committee unnecessarily.
However, specific backlog reduction targets have not been mentioned.
Local Plan and HMO Policies
Councillor Tom Creswell, Cabinet Member for Planning and Development, stated that Democratic control of the plan of planning does not happen when a small group of councillors debate a rear extension at 10 o'clock at night, it happens when the council sets strong rules. That's why we've been so intent on putting strong planning policy in our Local Plan and why we've introduced the strong measures on HMOs.
He also mentioned that The Local Plan is anticipated to be submitted for Examination in Public by the end of the calendar year, at which point its policies will begin to gain even greater weight in planning decisions.
Additionally, a Material Consideration advice note
is being prepared to clearly set out the Council's position on emerging policy H6 in the new Local Plan
regarding HMOs, which is anticipated to be in place by the end of Autumn.
Councillor Call-ins
The new regulations explicitly states that the existing ability of ward councillors to call applications into committee will no longer be possible. Nor will councils be able to automatically refer any application because it has received a certain number of objections.
The Gateway Test for Schedule 2 applications will involve the Chair of the Planning Committee and the Chief Planning Officer deciding together whether an application should be referred to committee. If agreement cannot be reached, the decision will be taken by an officer.
Councillor Tom Creswell, Cabinet Member for Planning and Development, stated that the new scheme is designed to boost confidence in the planning system and speed up the delivery of much-needed homes.
He argued that democratic control in planning lies in setting strong policies, such as those in the Local Plan and on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), rather than debating every application at committee.
However, the decision was not without its critics. Councillor Charlie Davis, Leader of the Conservative Group, proposed a motion objecting to the changes, arguing they would significantly reduce the ability of elected councillors and residents to scrutinise planning applications.
He highlighted examples where local planning committees had rejected officer recommendations, which were later upheld by planning inspectors, demonstrating the value of democratic scrutiny.
Councillor Pat Greenwell, seconding the motion, expressed horror at what she described as an erosion of democracy,
stating that residents' voices would be heard less, particularly concerning HMO conversions, which have been a significant issue in the borough.
The motion to object to the new regulations was ultimately not carried, with 19 votes in favour and 31 against.