Quarter of councillors want planning paused in pandemic

A survey of councillors has revealed that 23% believe planning committees should not take place in any format during the pandemic. While the majority of councillors, some 75%, said committees should take place, a large proportion did not support new virtual meetings. Savanta ComRes interviewed 429 UK councillors to understand how they are handling planning consultation and decision-making. It comes just weeks after local government secretary Robert Jenrick unveiled new regulations enabling virtual planning committees. But while some councils, such as the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, Enfield and Wandsworth Council, have been quick to adopt new emergency measures, others have been less supportive of the change. Some councils are still operating with delegated powers, while others are working to put technology in place, grappling with security of platforms or have not made any changes. In the survey, 20% of councillors said developer consultations should not take place during the Covid-19 pandemic. This compared with 77% who support remote consultations, and 2% who believe applicants and developers should continue face-to-face consultations. If planning applications were no longer determined, just 65% said they thought this would have a negative economic impact. A further 21% said it would have no impact, and 9% believe it would have a positive impact on the UK economy. To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette