Cumbria’s first directly elected mayor will be handed major new powers to take planning decisions away from local councils, under new Government proposals announced today.
The new “call in” powers will allow directly elected mayors across England to take over key planning applications which they consider important to local growth.
For Cumbria, that will mean the new mayor elected next May could intervene in some of the biggest planning applications in the county and direct the relevant council to approve or refuse them.
In effect, the mayor could override the normal decision-making process involving local planning committees and council planning officers.
The move has been backed by ten current mayors from across England and is intended to bring mayors outside London closer into line with the powers already held by the Mayor of London.
For the first time, national thresholds are being set for developments outside London that could be called in by a mayor.
These will include schemes involving more than 150 homes, more than 15,000 square metres of commercial space, or any building over 30 metres tall — roughly the height of a ten-storey building.
That could bring some of the largest housing and commercial developments proposed in Cumbria within the scope of the new powers.
The Government says councils will still decide the majority of planning applications, with the new powers aimed at major schemes which have a significant impact on local growth.
Mayors will also be able to grant permission for development up front, allowing building work to begin without a developer having to submit an individual planning application where that permission has already been granted.
The Government insists that mayoral decisions will still have to comply with planning rules, the local plan and national planning policy.
Applicants will retain their right of appeal, while Government ministers will continue to have powers to intervene in planning decisions.
The changes also give mayors a bigger say over national housing funding in their areas. Homes England will continue to lead on the largest projects, but its funding and expertise will be focused on priorities agreed with local mayors.
Mayors outside London will also be able to introduce a levy on development to help pay for major infrastructure, using a similar mechanism to the one used to help fund the Elizabeth line in London.
The powers will be coming into focus in Cumbria at the same time as the county prepares to elect its first directly elected mayor in May next year.
It means the person chosen by voters to lead Cumbria’s new mayoral authority could have a direct role in determining some of the biggest development proposals in the county — with the power to take a planning application out of the normal council decision-making process and decide whether it should go ahead.
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