Fears of 'more housing and less infrastructure' in Central Beds under new planning rules

Government reforms due to come into law at the end of October are set to enable the vast majority of decisions to be made by planning officers, and prevent councillors calling in applications to committee, under a mandatory National Scheme of Delegation.

This requires each local authority’s Constitution to be amended, so a full Central Bedfordshire Council meeting considered such a reference from its general purposes committee.

Independent Aspley and Woburn councillor John Baker updated the council on the legislation, saying: “There’s been new revision to the national planning policy framework (NPPF) and officers have made more updates to the paperwork, so I’m moving an amended recommendation.”

Council leader and Independent Potton councillor Adam Zerny explained: “We need to support this or we place the council in a situation where it’s acting illegally.

“We could be facing significant legal costs, potentially a judicial review. The committee felt it was a negative move by the government, leaving our residents at risk of feeling they lack representation.

“It would mean a significant reduction in the number of applications going to development management committee. It would cut the opportunity to kick back at really egregious planning applications.”

Liberal Democrat Leighton Linslade North councillor David Bligh, who chairs the planning committee, told the council: “We can’t defend this political decision, or that the consultation was taken seriously.”

Conservative Clifton, Henlow and Langford councillor Richard Wenham warned: “We’re having this appalling anti-democratic, centralising control imposed on local authorities across the country.

“There are members concerned in almost every planning authority. This is Labour’s so-called devolution in action. It’s what we can expect from combined authorities in future, central diktat removing any local democracy from what’s a key part in us representing our residents.

“We don’t accept these changes. We’ll only grudgingly comply with them because we have to before October 31st.”

The Central Bedfordshire Community Network Biggleswade West councillor Hayley Whitaker suggested: “We need to take more of a lead on this.

“These changes are profound and are going to cause havoc. Our town and parish councils will feel like they’ve lost a way of communicating with us and of putting their residents’ voices across.”

Liberal Democrat Leighton Linslade South councillor Shaun Roberts described the planning committee as “the best and most effective, functional one on this council”, adding: “This is a backwards step for democracy and devolution.

“Our residents will get a worse deal on development, with more housing and less infrastructure. We’re fed up with that and won’t support this.”

The Green Party Ampthill councillor Susan Clinch acknowledged: “We’re not voting on government policy.

“I’m appalled by this, but it’s the legislation we have. We can all vote against it, but it doesn’t change a thing. It puts our residents and officers in a poor situation.

“I’ll support this motion, so that this council can continue to operate a coherent and sensible planning system, and that constitutional changes allow us to fit in with that legislation. We should not be trying to block it.”

Councillors voted not to accept the recommendation, with six in favour, 20 against and 23 abstentions.

Conservative Caddington councillor Kevin Collins, who chairs the council, said: “The law still takes precedence.” CBC’s monitoring officer confirmed the council lacks the power to override legislative change, which would be applied without a change to the council’s Constitution to reflect the rules.