The changes - which will see many planning applications decided by officers and not councillors - are a ‘big mistake’, says a senior councillor

Planning reforms due to be discussed by Hampshire County Council next week have been described as a “massive backwards step” for democracy.

The proposed reforms, which would come into force on October 31, could mean more planning applications are decided by officers rather than the council’s regulatory committee.

Hampshire County Council’s cabinet will consider changes to the authority’s constitution before they go to a full council meeting on October 1.

Cllr Keith House, who previously sat on the committee, has criticised the changes, calling them a “massive backwards step” for democracy.

Cllr House, who is also the leader of Eastleigh Borough Council, said: “These changes are a massive backwards step to undermine democracy in planning which is often the most controversial area for local decision-making.

“Removing councillors, democracy, and for residents the right to be heard in public is a big mistake. It will put planning staff in an impossible position as residents will hold them rather than elected councillors responsible for decisions that impact their lives. A future government will need to reverse this bad change in the law.”

placeholder image — Cllr Keith House | LDRS

A report going before the county council’s cabinet recommends reducing the size of the regulatory committee from 16 councillors to 13, in line with the new legal limit, and increasing the number of substitute members each political group can appoint from two to three.

Under the new rules, some applications, including those to discharge planning conditions or make minor changes to existing permissions, will have to be decided by officers.

More significant applications, including minerals and waste proposals, could still be considered by the regulatory committee if the committee chairman and a senior planning officer agree they raise important planning issues or are significant to the local area.

The guidance states that both should try to reach agreement on which cases should go before councillors. If they cannot agree, the application must be decided by officers.

The council says this will help planning committees focus on the applications that matter most to local communities while allowing simpler cases to be dealt with more quickly.

The changes are part of new planning laws introduced by the government, which have also caused unrest at Portsmouth City Council. Senior Lib Dem councillor Hugh Mason branded the changes an “affront to democracy” because they will mean applications for houses of multiple occupation - HMOs - will not be decided by councillors but by council officers. He has pointed out that that groups of residents would not be able to challenge an application in committee and that councillors will no longer be able to call in an application to committee.

Ministers say planning committees will still deal with the most important applications, while more routine and technical cases will be decided by planning officers to speed up the process.

If approved by the county council’s cabinet next week, the changes will go before the full county council on October 1 before coming into force on October 31.