Consultations for building set to be scrapped under proposed changes
Parts of the planning system could be stripped away by the government in its attempts to speed up house building.
Consulting bodies like Sports England, the Theatres Trust and the Garden History Society will no longer be required for those looking to build under the new plans being considered by ministers.
It is hoped a reduction in statutory consultees will reduce the waiting times for projects.
Angela Rayner, who is both deputy prime minister and housing secretary, said: “We’ve put growth at the heart of our plans as a government, with our Plan for Change milestone to secure 1.5 million homes and unleash Britain’s potential to build.
“We need to reform the system to ensure it is sensible and balanced, and does not create unintended delays – putting a hold on people’s lives and harming our efforts to build the homes people desperately need.
“New developments must still meet our high expectations to create the homes, facilities and infrastructure that communities need.”
Consultees will not be completely excised from the planning process under the changes.
Angela Rayner has hailed the proposals. Pic: PA
However, instead of it being mandatory to get the opinion of such bodies, their scope will be “narrowed to focus on heritage, safety and environmental protection”, according to the government.
The government says it has identified issues like consultees failing to engage “proactively”, taking too long to provide advice, re-opening issues that have already been dealt with, submitting automatic objections which they later withdraw, and submitting advice for “gold-plated” outcomes that are unrealistic and difficult to achieve.
More than 300 planning applications have been sent up to the secretary of state’s desk in the past three years because of disagreements.
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The government has highlighted examples like a project to construct 140 homes in Bradford that was delayed because the application had “not adequately considered the speed of cricket balls”.
As well as reducing the number of consultees that have to be brought in, local authorities will also be told they only need to speak to the bodies if necessary, and decisions should not be held up by more than 21 days.
The government states that “existing open spaces, sports, recreational buildings and land, including playing fields, should not be built on unless an assessment has shown the space to be surplus to requirements or it will be replaced by equivalent or better provision”.
Sport England said its remit in the planning system is to protect playing fields and other spaces for physical activity.
“Britain’s childhood obesity crisis is rising and low physical activity levels cost our economy £7.4bn a year, making it vital we protect the places that local communities can be active,” a spokesperson said.
They added they “look forward” to taking part in the consultation exercise and “arguing the importance of protecting playing fields and places where local people can keep active”.
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Sam Richards, CEO of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade and former Conservative adviser said: “I’m glad the deputy prime minister has taken on board many of the recommendations I made in my review of statutory consultees for the last government.
“It’s a step in the right direction – but there’s still more they can do. For example, they’ve not introduced a ‘use it or lose it’ approach to objections. This would remove the chance of statutory consults to intervene after they miss their deadline.
“There is also some irony in the fact that their decision to remove consultees from the process…has been put out to consultation.”
A shoplifter has been jailed and banned from every Boots store after stealing £107,000 worth of goods from the high street chain.
Liam Hutchinson, 32, of no fixed address, was sentenced to a year in prison at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
He was also issued with a criminal behaviour order, banning him from every Boots store in the UK for 10 years – and the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea for five years.
Metropolitan Police detectives trawled through hours of CCTV footage to find that Hutchinson had committed 99 shoplifting offences at Boots stores in the borough between May and August 2025.
Hutchinson stealing from shelves in Boots on CCTV. Pic: Met Police
Often stealing large quantities of razors and electrical items, his crimes cost the retailer £107,000 in revenue, Sergeant Jack Vine, of the Met’s volume crime team said.
“We recognised the impact Hutchinson’s actions were having on the retailer, and through working with staff, we built a strong case of evidence against him, which has been reflected in his sentencing,” he added.
“This result should act as a warning that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated, and that we will come down hard on those who show a complete disregard for the law, terrorise retail workers and cost businesses thousands of pounds.”
Liam Hutchinson being caught by officers in bodycam footage. Pic: Met Police
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Nicky Harrop, head of security, fraud, and contract management at Boots, said the company have been investing “significantly” in anti-theft measures to make sure stores “remain a safe and respectful environment” for customers and staff.
The Met says it is prioritising shoplifting, having solved 163% more cases in London compared to the same time last year.
It is also dedicating up to 80 additional officers across London’s West End, with 90 more in high-risk theft areas.
A man has been arrested in the UK by the National Crime Agency (NCA) as part of an investigation into a cyber incident which caused chaos at European airports.
Flights were cancelled at Brussels Airport, and several more were delayed at Heathrow, Berlin, and Dublin, among others, leaving passengers stranded.
The incident, which was reported on 19 September, hit the systems of Collins Aerospace, which operates check-in and boarding systems.
Passengers reported being unable to check in online, queuing for hours, and their flights eventually not taking off.
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NCA officers, supported by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit, arrested a man in his 40s in West Sussex on Tuesday evening on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offences. He has been released on conditional bail.
Collins Aerospace, whose network was affected, runs systems for several airlines at multiple airports across the world. Pic: PA
Deputy director Paul Foster, head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, said: “Although this arrest is a positive step, the investigation into this incident is in its early stages and remains ongoing.
“Cybercrime is a persistent global threat that continues to cause significant disruption to the UK.
“Alongside our partners here and overseas, the NCA is committed to reducing that threat in order to protect the British public.”
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