BPF response to MHCLG's technical consultation on reform of planning committees

The BPF welcomes the Government’s proposal to introduce a national scheme of delegation, which should create greater consistency in determining which applications are referred to planning committees and which are decided by officers.

However, our response highlights that the opportunity to drive more meaningful improvements in how planning committees operate has not yet been fully grasped - particularly the need to encourage committees to make greater use of expert opinion in their decision-making.