MALVERN Hills District Council has vowed to fight to overturn a government planning sanction which could allow decisions on major development to be taken nationally.
The Government has designated Malvern Hills District under Section 62A of the Town and Country Planning Act because, over a two-year period from 2023 to 2025, twelve per cent of major planning applications refused by the council were later allowed on appeal.
This is slightly above the Government’s accepted limit of ten per cent.
Designation means developers submitting certain major planning applications can choose to bypass the council and instead apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate, which will decide on the council’s behalf.
Major applications already submitted will continue to be decided by the council, as will applications for smaller developments and from householders.
The sanction remains in place until Malvern Hills District Council has satisfied government officials the situation has improved.
Malvern Hills District Council strongly disputes the Government’s decision and is now considering all options available to challenge it.
The council acknowledges that historically there have some performance issues, however the position is now much improved.
Since the arrival of current planning director Ian MacLeod in early 2024 the performance of the planning service has been transformed following a significant restructure.
Backlogs have been eliminated with further training provided to councillors with support from the Planning Advisory Service and a dedicated team created to oversee major applications.
The transformation of Malvern’s planning service has been so impressive they were recognised by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) as West Midlands team of the Year and are shortlisted for a national award.
Coun David Harrison, portfolio holder for planning and flooding at Malvern Hills District Council said: “This designation does not reflect the significant improvements made by our planning service in recent years.
“While we support accountability, it is disappointing that historic data has been used from as long ago as 2023 to reach a decision that does not represent current performance.
“We will be considering all available options to challenge the designation and demonstrate the progress that has been made.”
