Fewer Planning Decisions to Be Made by Councillors
Council says government is trying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist
Cllr Ravi Govindia (right) chairing a recent planning meeting. Picture: Wandsworth Council
October 28, 2026
Wandsworth Council has warned that new national planning rules coming into force this month will significantly change how planning decisions are made locally, with many applications now decided by council officers rather than by elected councillors on the Planning Committee.
From 31 October, statutory changes introduced by central government mean that a wider range of applications will automatically be handled through delegated powers. Decisions will be made using national planning policy and Wandsworth’s own local guidance, without referral to the Planning Committee unless they meet strict criteria set out in the new regulations.
Councillors will now focus on larger or more complex applications where Member scrutiny is considered essential. Routine proposals — including householder applications, residential schemes of up to nine homes on sites under 0.5 hectares, and minor commercial developments — will be determined by planning officers.
Residents, community groups and businesses will still be able to comment on applications in the usual way, and planning issues raised will continue to be considered before decisions are made. However, the number of objections will no longer automatically trigger a committee hearing, even where there is extensive local opposition. Ward councillors will also lose the ability to “call in” applications for committee consideration.
Cllr Ravi Govindia, Chair of the Planning Committee, said the changes were imposed nationally and not something Wandsworth would have chosen. “This is a major change imposed nationally upon us by government – not one this Council would ever volunteer to make. It is not clear what problem it is intending to fix. In Wandsworth our committee does not hold up decisions or make them inconsistently. Our approval rate is consistently high and demonstrates our openness to quality development in the borough. We will continue working closely with our planning officers to ensure residents’ views are heard during the decision‑making process.”
Wandsworth’s Planning Committee approved 87% of applications over the last six months.
The final Planning Committee meeting under the previous rules took place on 22 October, following a Full Council meeting the previous evening which was required to amend the Council’s Constitution to comply with the new national “delegation” regulations. The new system applies to all decisions made from 1 November.
Agenda papers and a webcast of the Full Council debate are available on the council’s website, along with documents from the final Planning Committee meeting.
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