Voice of Derby people “seriously weakened” over planning changes – City council is warned

Derby City Council House (Credit: LDRS)

Derby residents’ voices are being “seriously weakened” by controversial new planning rules which some say will “decimate” local democracy.

Several councillors have expressed fears that their powers are being “lost” as the Government plans on giving more control to council officers on planning decisions rather than elected members across the country.

In the future, Derby City Council’s planning committee can only have their say or decide on applications “if they raise a significant economic, social or environmental issue for the local area”.

Other “minor and technical” applications will be given to the hands of council officers.

A report says the “National Scheme of Delegation of Planning Functions “ aims to speed up the planning process and prevents “minor applications being delayed unnecessarily by political debate”.

Labour leaders say the changes will ensure consistent decision-making across the country.

But concerns have been raised the changes will give more freedom for developers to “target” areas of Derby. Councillors also fear their influence on council decision-making, on behalf of residents, will be impacted.

Current rules allow for councillors to “call in” controversial applications for the decision of a planning committee to ensure people’s concerns can be heard democratically. But this is set to be scrapped.

Another rule set to go is that the planning committee will decide on an application should there be at least 15 public objections submitted.

Concern has also been raised over a new rule allowing decisions to be delegated to officers on housing applications for 10 homes or less.

The controversial changes are set to come into force from October 31st 2026.

Derby councillors were due to discuss the Government-led policies at a planning control committee meeting on Thursday (September 3rd)

The new rules require a “significant change” to the city council’s constitution and the process of its planning control committee – made up of 12 Derby councillors.

A nominated officer and an elected councillor will assess whether an application should be delegated to an officer or decided by the committee.

Conservative councillors have hit out at the changes. Oakwood’s Conservative councillors told residents they feared local democracy was “being decimated”.

A statement by Councillors Matthew Eyre, Freya Trewhella and Jamie Mulhall said: “The Government’s sweeping national planning changes are moving ahead at full speed and from October, the rights of democratically elected councillors, and the voices of the residents who elect us, are being seriously weakened.

“Developers will be able to target individual parcels of land knowing that even strong opposition from local residents may no longer be enough to get an application in front of the planning committee.

“If a developer applies to build on a small piece of local green space, even if hundreds of residents object, it cannot go to planning committee. The decision is made by a planning officer.”

The Government states failure for an authority to comply with the new rules may make decisions “liable to judicial review”.