Mayors across England are to be given ‘call in’ powers to take the most important planning decisions in their areas
Under proposals to be published next week, a mayor will be able to take over key planning applications that affect local growth and direct a council to proceed or refuse them.
The move has been backed by ten mayors from different parties and will bring mayors across the country in line with powers the mayor of London already has.
Mayoral planning powers have been extended outside of London for the first time
The national thresholds are being set outside London for the first time: schemes with more than 150 homes, more than 15,000 square metres of commercial space, or any building over 30 metres or taller (roughly ten storeys) will be in scope.
Mayors can also grant upfront permission for development, so building can begin without a developer having to apply.
“Call-in powers have been used in the capital by the mayor of the London for many years, and it’s right that our region is fast catching up. Mindful of this responsibility, my approach, now and in the future, remains the same: carefully considering all planning applications at the appropriate stage, looking at all the evidence,” said Helen Godwin, mayor of the West of England
“As our region continues to take on more powers and funding as part of the devolution revolution, this announcement is another exciting step forward. Having more influence over how national housing funding is spent will help us get new homes built where they’re needed most – together with the transport and services that local communities deserve.”
Homes are being built more quickly under local planning rules
Councils will continue to decide most applications, and many are already building homes at scale.
Over the last three years, Salford has delivered 7,584 homes against a requirement of 4,249. Leeds has delivered 11,690 homes against a requirement of 10,151, and Knowsley has delivered 1,888 – well over double the requirement of 772 homes.
Every decision must follow the planning rules, the local plan, and national policy. Applicants keep the right of appeal, and ministers retain a backstop power to intervene themselves.
“Giving mayors greater powers to drive planning decisions is a positive step towards accelerating the delivery of the homes, infrastructure and employment space that communities need to drive growth,” explained Richard Bonner, managing director for buildings and places at AtkinsRéalis.
“This is how devolution can help reshape how places are planned, funded and delivered, with stronger local leadership turning growth ambitions into tangible outcomes more quickly and with greater certainty.”
Mayoral powers extended to national housing funding
Mayors will also have a bigger say over how national housing funding is spent in their areas. Homes England will still lead the biggest projects, but its funding and expertise will focus on the priorities agreed by local mayors.
A £1.3bn portion of the national fund for land and infrastructure has already been allocated to the seven most established mayoral areas, with an additional £234m of brownfield funding to seven MSAs, and £1.5bn committed for devolution through the Housing Accelerator Fund.
Mayors outside London will also be able to charge a levy on development to fund major infrastructure, using the same tool that helped deliver the Elizabeth line, which has boosted rail capacity, supported housing growth and regeneration, and become the UK’s busiest railway service.
Commenting on the new plans, Tom Arnold, policy manager at CIH, said: “The proposed planning powers for mayors announced today could have a significant impact on how decisions about the development of new homes are made.
“The government has announced its intention to rewire the state, giving more power to regional and local leaders over decisions that affect the communities they represent. Planning has a major role to play in achieving this vision, and these new powers – if used properly – could help deliver more homes and infrastructure to meet local needs.
“The government will need to support mayoral strategic authorities to build capacity if these new powers are to be used effectively. Local authority planning departments are also under pressure, with staff shortages and budget cuts impacting the ability of councils to determine applications and plan for the future. Devolution will only work effectively if local authorities and mayoral strategic authorities are properly resourced and empowered to work together.”
Experts think the powers should be extended further
Mayoral oversight can provide a valuable strategic perspective, but it can also introduce another layer of planning policy and another political decision-maker. Call in powers only have value if mayors are prepared to use them decisively, consistently and on planning grounds rather than according to political convenience.
Karen Charles, executive director, Boyer, stated: “If a mayor calls in an application, they become responsible for determining it which requires either a public hearing or written representations. That brings additional process, time and cost. For a genuinely strategic scale scheme this may be justified, but the threshold of just 150 homes raises the question of whether mayoral intervention could sometimes be disproportionate.
“So while this is a positive reform, particularly for genuinely strategic sites, we should be realistic about what it can achieve. Mayoral call in powers may rescue individual schemes and help align development with wider growth ambitions, but they are less likely, on their own, to transform the number of homes securing permission without the delay and expense of an appeal.”
Paul Rickard, chief executive at Pocket Living, echoed this statement, saying: “The government is right to offer more mayors the power to call-in planning applications to deliver homes and strategically important developments.
“There is clear democratic accountability and it allows the Mayor to unlock difficult issues, often around height and density, to prioritise what the city region needs, which in London’s case is housing delivery.”
He concluded: “But the government should go further and reduce the threshold to 50 homes, not 150, in line with London’s powers. This makes sense outside of the capital where there will be more applications of this scale and where local authorities have even fewer resources to manage complex or controversial applications. Small sites have huge potential to deliver housing and support SME housebuilders, and these measures would help to provide the certainty developers need to bring forward planning applications.”
