Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has announced a series of significant planning reforms she intends to implement across local councils.

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After recent speculation, Rayner has now provided details of her plans, which will be officially consulted on after the festive season.

The proposals aim to modernise the planning approval process by allowing applications that comply with local development plans to bypass planning committees entirely. This move is intended to address what Rayner describes as "chronic uncertainty, unacceptable delays, and unnecessary waste of time and resources."

The proposed changes include introducing a national delegation scheme, the creation of streamlined committees dedicated to strategic development, and the implementation of compulsory training for members of planning committees.

The new plans will empower local planning officers with an expanded role in decision-making to implement pre-agreed planning policies.

These changes are designed to offer greater certainty to housebuilders, ensuring that projects in line with established local development plans are approved swiftly, enabling faster initiation of construction.

Rayner says: “Building more homes and infrastructure across the country means unblocking the clogged-up planning system that serves as a chokehold on growth. The government will deliver a sweeping overhaul of the creaking local planning committee system.

“Streamlining the approvals process by modernising local planning committees means tackling the chronic uncertainty and damaging delays that acts as a drag anchor on building the homes people desperately need.

“Grasping the nettle of planning committee reform and fast-tracking decision-making is a vital part of our Plan for Change. Building 1.5m homes over five years means tackling the housing crisis we inherited head-on with bold action.

“Through our Planning and Infrastructure Bill, alongside new National Planning Policy Framework and mandatory housing targets, we are taking decisive steps to accelerate building, get spades in the ground and deliver the change communities need.”

Dr Victoria Hills, chief executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, has expressed her support for the government's plans, stating: “It’s encouraging to see the government explore these options in such an open way. These are the right questions to ask, and it is good that the government is prioritising collaboration, transparency, and consistency.

“By empowering qualified planners to implement planning policies, locally elected councillors will have the time to focus on the more significant cases, effectively speeding up the planning process and reducing unnecessary delays.

“By requiring councillors to undergo appropriate training before joining planning committees, we can ensure planning decisions are made for the greater good of the communities while aligning with national policies. We would look forward to supporting this programme.”