The government has announced plans to grant mayors in 13 Combined Authority areas across England authority to review and potentially overrule local council planning decisions on major development proposals. The measure would apply to projects involving more than 150 homes, more than 15,000 square metres of commercial space, or buildings exceeding 30 metres in height. Affected areas include Greater Manchester, Liverpool, the West of England, West Midlands, North East England, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York and North Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, Greater Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, East Midlands, and Tees Valley.
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook characterized the powers as instrumental for mayors to deliver housing and regeneration objectives. He pointed to London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s existing authority to “call in” planning decisions as a successful precedent, claiming the mechanism has helped unblock strategic growth sites. The government has also proposed granting mayors “up-front permission” authority, enabling construction to commence without formal developer applications. A consultation on implementation details is scheduled for the following week.
The initiative draws backing from Paul Bristow, Conservative mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, who argued the “perceived threat of intervention” would encourage developers and councils to reach compromises rather than reject projects outright. However, opposition figures questioned the approach. Sir James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, criticized the government for stripping councils of planning authority while simultaneously making it easier to establish traveller sites against community objections. Liberal Democrat spokesperson Gideon Amos warned the changes would strip power from local people and communities.
The government framed the policy within its broader housing agenda, targeting construction of 1.5 million homes by decade’s end following promises made during the prior election cycle. Pennycook acknowledged the target as “really stretching” while emphasizing the scale of housing need, citing nearly 180,000 children in temporary accommodation. Separately, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signaled intentions to transfer additional powers to local mayors, including greater control over housing funding allocation and a proposed share of income tax revenue.
Government officials stressed that councils will continue deciding the vast majority of applications and that all decisions must comply with planning regulations. The announcement has sparked concern among some Labour and Liberal Democrat figures about potential creation of a “two-tier system” disadvantaging non-mayoral areas. The Greens and Reform UK characterized the changes as insufficient devolution measures or centralization efforts respectively.
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