Council objects to changes to planning policies
25/09/26
Mid Suffolk District Council has accused the Government of eroding the ability of local communities to help shape the future development of their neighbourhoods.
Following agreement at this week’s Full Council meeting, leader Cllr Andy Mellen will now be writing to Ministers to express concerns over several recent changes to national planning policy and their impact on communities.
The changes have put a stop to Government funding used previously to support communities in developing Neighbourhood Plans – and councillors are no longer able to ‘call in’ applications within their ward area. There is also confusion over new ‘Spatial Development Strategies’.
Councillor Andrew Stringer, Mid Suffolk District Council’s cabinet member for heritage planning and infrastructure, said: “As a council, we believe in a plan-led approach when delivering new homes and it is absolutely vital that communities are involved when it comes to decisions shaping their future.
“Recent changes to planning policies and regulations made by Government now make it increasingly difficult to ensure this level of involvement and we run the very real risk of breaking the trust that communities put into the planning process.
“Over recent years, we have spent a considerable amount of time working with communities to develop Neighbourhood Plans. The removal of Government funding means that without our council stepping in to support them, the creation of a plan would be out of reach for a lot of areas, undermining their ability to plan for the future.”
“Recent changes to planning policies and regulations made by Government now make it increasingly difficult to ensure this level of involvement and we run the very real risk of breaking the trust that communities put into the planning process.
“Over recent years, we have spent a considerable amount of time working with communities to develop Neighbourhood Plans. The removal of Government funding means that without our council stepping in to support them, the creation of a plan would be out of reach for a lot of areas, undermining their ability to plan for the future.”
Talking about the removal of the right of councillors to ‘call in’ applications within their area for further scrutiny, Cllr Stringer said:
“Elected officials having the ability to ‘call in’ applications is really beneficial for local communities – it provides them with a democratic link to influence developers and achieve sustainable planning decisions and if removed, will place another barrier between communities and the planning process.
“I hope that by voicing our objections, Government may think again about the impact of these changes and how we can mitigate negative impacts.”
“I hope that by voicing our objections, Government may think again about the impact of these changes and how we can mitigate negative impacts.”
Councillor Andy Mellen, Leader of Mid Suffolk District Council, said: “We don’t take changes to policies that impact our communities lightly and as a local authority, it is our job to challenge decisions like this to ensure the best possible outcome for our communities.
“We are also seeking clarification on the requirement for a new ‘spatial development strategy’ and changes to terminology within the National Planning Policy Framework which appear to open the door to more speculative development."
“We are also seeking clarification on the requirement for a new ‘spatial development strategy’ and changes to terminology within the National Planning Policy Framework which appear to open the door to more speculative development."
