Govt to consult on statutory consultee reform

The role of statutory consultees will soon be under review, with the government announcing a consultation on limiting their scope in making planning decisions and removing a “limited number” of them.

MHCLG acknowledged statutory consultees’ important role in considering essential environmental, transport, heritage and safety elements of planning, “but councils and developers report that the system is not working effectively”.

Under the government’s proposals, set out ahead of the introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill this week, consultees including Sport England, Theatres Trust and The Gardens Trust will be removed from making planning decisions, “while ensuring necessary community facilities and needs continue to be met,” MHCLG said.

The scope of other statutory consultees will be narrowed to focus only on heritage, safety and environmental protection, accelerating the planning and building process, according to MHCLG.

In the Spring, MHCLG will consult on the impacts of its proposals. It said the current list of statutory consultees – official stakeholders legally required to give advice on planning decisions – had “grown haphazardly” over time to more than 25 organisations.

Problems according to feedback, include consultees failing to engage properly, taking too long to provide advice and …