Under the regime, central government has the power to force through new developments.
Wychavon District Council and Malvern Hills District Council were both designated as under special measures as of Monday 15th June.
The decision — taken by Secretary of State for Local Government, Steve Reed, means applications for housing schemes that will deliver more than 10 homes, or take up more than 0.5 hectares of land or 1,000 square metres across the total scheme, can bypass local authorities.
This move came after Wychavon was found to have refused too many developments in a two-year period which where then approved following an appeal. 10.7% of all developments were passed in this way, just above the national limit of 10%.
Those submitting a proposal to undertake construction work will have the right to opt for analysis by the Planning Inspectorate as oppose to the shared council planning team in place to oversee, green light and reject developments in both areas.
‘[The council] strongly disputes the Government’s decision and is now considering all options available to challenge it, including legal action,’ a joint statement from Wychavon and Malvern Hills read.
‘How dare they! This is an outrageous decision by a government that thinks it can simply dictate to local communities in complete defiance of the evidence and common sense,’ said Cllr Emma Kearsey, Wychavon’s Executive Board Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Urban Design. ‘We have no problem with accountability. We do have an issue with a decision based on historic data that ignores the reality of the planning service we have today.
‘What’s even more appalling is they have decided to do this when we have just adopted the South Worcestershire Development Plan Review, releasing over 25,000 homes for development and bringing forward major projects such as Wychavon Town at pace,’ she continued. ‘This designation undermines their own ambitions for growth and housing delivery.’
Image: Sasun Bughdaryan / Unsplash
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