Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing (a) time limits and (b) penalties for local planning authorities that do not determine small applications within statutory deadlines.

My Department recognises the importance of timely decision-making in the planning system, particularly for small applications which are often vital to local communities and small businesses.

Local planning authorities are already subject to statutory timeframes for determining planning application. For small or non-major application, the statutory deadline is eight weeks. Where this deadline is not met, and no extended time period has been agreed, applicants have the right to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate on the grounds of non-determination.

My Department monitors the performance of local planning authorities in terms of both the speed and quality of decision-making, with separate metrics for major and non-major applications. Speed of decision-making is measured by the proportion of decisions that are made within the statutory deadline or an agreed extended time period. The current performance threshold for non-major applications is at least 70% of decisions made within these timeframes.

Where an authority fails to meet this threshold, the Secretary of State has the power to designate the authority. Designation requires the authority to prepare an improvement plan, and applicants may choose to submit relevant applications directly to the Planning Inspectorate, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State.