Camden Council’s 5PS offices in King’s Cross

CHANGES to how planning applications are considered are a direct attack on democracy, according to outraged councillors.

This week the Town Hall revealed it is seeking to scrap meetings that give councillors on the planning committee the chance to consider applications and whether they should be referred to the committee for a final decision.

Known as Members’ Briefing Panels, they are a key step in the process in deciding how applications are dealt with.

Changes made by Whitehall designed to speed up planning are due to be implemented this autumn.

But it emerged this week that the Town Hall is considering to go further than central government missives and hold back a swathe of applications from councillors’ scrutiny.

The new rules would mean some applications judged by planning officers to be “minor” would never reach committee level, while larger applications would be considered by the Town Hall’s chief planning officer Bethany Cullen and the chair of planning, Labour councillor Liam Martin-Lane, or the cabinet member for development, Labour councillor James Slater.

Under the proposal, projects that require listed building consents, tree works and advertising would solely rest with planning officers.

Holborn and Covent Garden Green councillor Jim Monahan told the New Journal that this was a direct attack on democracy.

He said: “It’s a smash-and-grab raid. The planning officers dislike the idea of effective oversight. All the Labour councillors do not seem to understand they are giving up considerable powers and will not be able to represent their constituents over planning matters for now on.”

Cllr Monahan said the added changes proposed by planning officers were “not necessary and are not recom­mended by government, nor is there any particular reason it should be necessary or acceptable here in Camden”.

His views were backed by Lib Dem leader and planning committee member Tom Simon. He told the New Journal: “These changes are unwelcome. They undermine the council’s independence and the ability of councillors to represent the people. They are passed down from the Labour government so give councils little room to manoeuvre. No surprises there as Labour’s instinct is to centralise.

“The question of whether the council can retain some degree of more democratic decision- making does need further examination. It is wrong that the planning committee has not been given an opportunity to discuss the changes before council decides on whether to adopt them. It is also wrong that the papers that went to Audit and Corporate Governance and that are coming before council tonight [July 13] do not explore whether the Members’ Briefing Panel could be retained in some form. While the council is obliged to adopt the govern­ment’s changes, our duty as councillors is to represent the people of Camden.”

Conservative group leader, Frognal councillor Steve Adams, also criticised the changes, as “an erosion of councillor responsibility and so a reduction in protection of the built environment.”

Cabinet member for planning Labour councillor James Slater said: “These changes do not remove democratic oversight from the planning process. Our planning committees will continue to be tasked with making decisions on the most significant, complex and controversial applications, while more routine applica­tions, such as household applications or minor residential schemes, will be determined by officers in line with our planning policies.

“Camden has a thorough and robust planning system that is designed to ensure residents’ voices are heard, community benefits are delivered and the borough’s distinctive character is protected. Those principles will remain at the heart of our planning system as we comply with the new statutory requirements.”