WARRINGTON residents could find it harder to get controversial planning applications heard by elected councillors under new national rules due to come into force later this month.
Cllr Stuart Mann, Leader of Warrington Borough Council’s Independent Group, has raised concerns that changes to the planning system could reduce the ability of ward councillors and parish councils to secure committee scrutiny of major developments.
The new National Scheme of Delegation is due to take effect on October 31 and will require councils to change how certain planning applications are referred to their Development Management Committees.
Cllr Mann has contacted senior council officers, parish councils and leaders of other political groups, urging Warrington Borough Council to retain as much local involvement as possible within the new legal framework.
His concerns come amid mounting development pressures across the borough, with thousands of new homes already under construction, progressing through the planning system or being proposed on land outside Warrington’s adopted Local Plan, including Green Belt sites.
“Residents already find the planning system complicated. My concern is that these changes could make it harder for their local representatives to secure proper scrutiny of major developments,” he said.
What will change under the new rules?
Planning applications in Warrington are currently decided either by professional planning officers or by the council’s Development Management Committee, made up of elected councillors.
Under existing arrangements, ward councillors and parish councils have established routes for requesting that certain applications are considered by the committee, subject to specified conditions. Arrangements also exist for major developments to be considered following sufficient objections.
However, from October 31, these arrangements must comply with the new national requirements.
Certain applications will have to be decided by planning officers, while others may be referred to committee only if they meet the new legal criteria and a nominated senior planning officer and nominated committee member agree to the referral.
This means objections from residents, ward councillors or parish councils will not automatically secure a decision by elected councillors.
Residents will retain the right to object to planning applications, and parish councils will still be able to submit their views. The change concerns who makes the final decision and the circumstances in which an application can be referred to committee.
Cllr Mann told Warrington Worldwide: “This is the distinction I want residents to understand. Their objections still matter, but they may no longer be enough to secure a decision by elected councillors.”
He stressed that applications decided by officers would still have to be assessed against the Local Plan, national planning policies and other relevant planning considerations.
Growing development pressures across Warrington
Cllr Mann believes the timing of the changes is particularly significant for communities facing substantial housing proposals.
Warrington adopted its current Local Plan in December 2023, setting out where development should take place across the borough. However, further housing proposals have since emerged on land not allocated for housing, including sites within the Green Belt.
Among the schemes highlighted by Cllr Mann are:
– Winwick: Bellway’s application for a further 229 homes off Golborne Road.
– Croft: Peel’s application for up to 200 homes at Turret Hall Farm.
– Burtonwood: Emerging proposals for around 500 homes at Ashton’s Farm, Clay Lane.
– Culcheth: Proposals for nearly 1,000 homes across two sites in the village.
These are in addition to significant housing developments already underway or progressing through the planning system, including Peel Hall, Golborne Road, Deacons Close in Croft Omega and Warrington Road in Culcheth.
Cllr Mann has previously highlighted estimates of around 2,500 homes already under construction or progressing across the wider north Warrington area, alongside proposals for approximately 2,000 more.
He has raised concerns about the cumulative impact on roads, schools, healthcare services, drainage and the delivery of essential infrastructure.
The situation has also been complicated by changes to national planning policy and confirmation from council planning officers that Warrington cannot currently demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites.
That does not mean developments outside the adopted Local Plan must automatically be approved, but it can affect how planning applications are assessed.
“We have an adopted Local Plan, yet thousands more homes are being proposed outside its allocations. We need to be confident that the combined impact on our communities is being properly considered,” Cllr Mann said.
He also pointed to wider industrial and infrastructure proposals, including the Parkside logistics developments and the proposed Tritax rail freight interchange near the Warrington and St Helens boundary, which could add to pressure on roads and surrounding communities.
The Tritax proposal is subject to a separate national consent process.
Council could retain a formal referral process
Cllr Mann says the new legislation does not prevent Warrington Borough Council from establishing a local procedure for identifying applications that may warrant committee consideration.
The national rules allow councils to consider referrals where applications raise significant local economic, social or environmental issues, or other significant planning matters.
He believes Warrington could introduce a formal process allowing ward councillors and parish councils to request that qualifying applications are considered for referral to the Development Management Committee.
Such a process would not guarantee that an application went before the committee, as the new legal requirements would still apply.
However, Cllr Mann wants requests to be formally assessed, with reasons recorded when a referral is refused.
“Warrington must comply with the new law, but it still has choices. I want us to use the flexibility available to protect local representation wherever possible,” he said.
Other councils facing the same changes
The new arrangements have already prompted debate elsewhere in England.
On October 6, councillors at Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council voted 26 to 22 against proposed changes to their constitution relating to the new planning arrangements.
However, voting against local constitutional amendments does not overturn national legislation, and councils must ensure their procedures comply with the law when the new rules take effect.
Cllr Mann believes Warrington should follow an approach similar to Shropshire Council, which has examined how existing referral arrangements can be adapted to meet the new requirements.
“Voting against the changes does not remove the law. The important question is how Warrington protects local scrutiny within the rules we must follow,” he said.
Political groups and parish councils contacted
Cllr Mann has written to Warrington Borough Council’s chief executive and monitoring officer to raise concerns about the potential loss of existing referral arrangements.
He has also contacted every parish council across Warrington, encouraging them to consider making representations before replacement procedures are finalised.
Leaders of the council’s Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups have also been contacted, alongside fellow Independent councillors.
He wants any new arrangements to:
Allow ward councillors and parish councils to request committee consideration of qualifying applications.
Clearly explain how referral requests will be assessed.
Record reasons when requests are declined.
Give local representatives appropriate notice and time to raise concerns.
Allow elected members to examine proposed changes before they are finalised.
Cllr Mann stressed that, as of October 11, the council’s proposed constitutional amendments and replacement planning referral arrangements had not yet been circulated to elected members.
He said he was not suggesting the council had already decided to remove opportunities for local representatives to seek committee consideration, but wanted the issue addressed before decisions were made.
“We haven’t yet seen Warrington’s proposals. That is why I’ve raised this now, and why I’ve asked parish councils and other political groups to consider the issue,” he said.
Warrington Borough Council’s constitution is currently being updated to incorporate the new planning rules. Any changes will need to be considered and approved by councillors at a formal meeting.
With the October 31 deadline approaching, the arrangements adopted by the council could influence how local concerns are considered when significant planning applications come forward.
Cllr Mann said: “Planning decisions can change our communities for generations. We must follow the law, but we should not unnecessarily lose opportunities for residents’ concerns to be represented and properly scrutinised.”
Government guidance on the new planning committee rules is available HERE.
