South Tyneside Council has been stripped of its powers to determine planning applications for major developments. The local authority is one of nine put into special measures by the Government, and the only one in the North East.
The designation notices are an official underperformance censure from Government, which means that developers can now bypass local 'bottlenecks' in a bid to build homes faster. The council said that the Government's data was based on a 'very small number of cases', and does not reflect its overall long-term performance; and that it performs strongly in speed and quality of decision-making on non-major applications.
Under the designation, developers can now submit applications directly to the Planning Inspectorate for a decision instead of being decided by South Tyneside Council. Residents fear that developments such as the proposals for 205 homes at Mill Lane in Whitburn could be waved through regardless of local opposition, with the plans yet to be put before the council's planning committee.
A source close to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: 'A minority of councils have repeatedly failed to take the decisions needed to build the homes their communities are crying out for. Our message is clear: if you drag your feet to get on with the job, we will take away your right to make those decisions. Where councils aren't delivering, ministers will - because getting Britain building faster is non-negotiable.'
Kate Osborne, MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East, said that the designation was 'extremely disappointing.' She cited a 1,200-home development in Fellgate, which was rejected for a second time in February last year, by borough councillors as being 'handled extremely badly with regulatory and consultation failures'.
Ms Osborne said: 'This and other failures has now meant the Government has had to step in to ensure proposals are handled correctly. I and others raised that this would happen previously in an attempt to get the Council to conduct themselves properly. I have been in touch with Ministers regarding this and will continue to have regular conversations with them.'
Coun Paul Mackings, leader of South Tyneside Council, said: 'We acknowledge the Government's decision to designate the authority under Section 62A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in relation to major development applications. We take this matter seriously, recognising the importance of strong and consistent planning decisions in supporting new homes, jobs and investment; we are now focused on next steps and the development of our action plan.
'We have already started a training programme for Members of the Planning Committee and will continue to ensure this continues to support the new Committee not only in the determination of planning applications but to appreciate the requirements of the new national framework. This supports a refreshed approach towards economic growth and housing supply for our residents and businesses.
'It is also important to note that this designation is based on a specific assessment period and does not reflect our overall long-term performance, which was well below designation level both in the two years prior to the assessment period and in the subsequent period to date. Furthermore, the Council continues to perform strongly in terms of speed of decision-making and quality of decision-making on non-major applications.
'This demonstrates that our performance has been strong both before and since the assessment period, and that the data behind the Government's designation decision relates only to a very small number of cases where a limited number of appeal decisions had a disproportionate impact in terms of our quality of decision-making on major planning applications. We will now work closely with Government and the Planning Advisory Service to ensure the designation can be lifted as soon as possible.'
The other councils put into special measures are Wychavon District, Cherwell District, Malvern Hills District, Staffordshire Moorlands District, Epping Forest District, Dacorum Borough, Hertsmere Borough, Rossendale Borough.
