From 31 October 2026, we're required to follow the National Scheme of Delegation, a national set of rules that sets out who decides a planning application.
What's changed?
The national rules change who can decide some planning applications.
This means:
- The type of application determines whether it can be considered by the Planning Committee
- The number of objections received will not decide whether an application goes to the Planning Committee
- Councillors can no longer ask for an application to go to the Planning Committee under local rules
- Applications can only go to the Planning Committee where the national rules allow
What hasn't changed
The national rules do not affect:
- How you apply for planning permission
- How you view and comment on a planning application
- How we make our decisions
Who makes decisions
Under the national rules, planning applications are split into 2 groups, Schedule 1 and Schedule 2:
- Schedule 1 applications will always be decided by planning officers and cannot be referred to a planning committee.
- Schedule 2 applications will usually be decided by planning officers but may be referred to a planning committee if they meet the national 'gateway test'
Schedule 1 applications
Schedule 1 applications include:
- Householder applications, such as extensions and alterations
- Minor commercial applications
- Minor residential developments (fewer than 10 homes)
- Permission in Principle applications
- Most reserved matters applications
- Prior notification and prior approval applications
- Non-material amendments
- Applications to discharge planning conditions
- Lawful Development Certificates
- Certain applications to modify planning obligations
- Certificates of Appropriate Alternative Development
Schedule 2 applications
Schedule 2 applications include:
- Listed Building Consent applications
- Major residential developments (10 or more homes)
- Major commercial developments
- Technical Details Consent applications
- Certain large reserved matters applications
- Retrospective planning applications made under Section 73A
- Advertisement Consent applications
- Applications for works to protected trees covered by a Tree Preservation Order
- Certain applications to vary existing planning permissions
- Planning applications linked to Listed Building Consent applications
The gateway test
A Schedule 2 application may meet the gateway test if it:
- Raises an important economic, social or environmental issue in the local area
- Raises an important planning issue that we need consider against our planning policies and other relevant information
- Is a planning application we make