New planning rules could see more homes built without councillor input and weaken local democracy, West Devon Borough Council’s leader has warned.

From the end of October more planning applications will be signed off by officers and councillors will no longer be able to “call in” certain proposals to committee including schemes of under ten homes.

And if authorities are minded to refuse plans for 150 or more homes, they will have to consult with the secretary of state first.

The rules are changing as the Labour government continues its manifesto pledge to build an extra 1.5 million homes across the country by 2029.

Leader of West Devon Borough Council Cllr Mandy Ewings (Ind, Tavistock South West) said local councillors knew their areas intimately and should be allowed to request that applications were discussed by the planning committee if there were local concerns or issues raised.

Under the new rules planning officers will make more decisions beyond closed doors.

“We understand that in some cases the head of planning and planning committee chair will make the decision if it’s serious enough,” she said. “It’s absolutely crazy.

“There is nothing we can do about it if the scheme is fewer than ten houses even if we had lots of objections. Sometimes some of our most contentious issues are in the rural countryside and that could be a plan for just one house because of the impact it can have on the roads and things like that.

“A lot of people become councillors because they think they can be involved in planning. This is basically taking away local democracy and local knowledge which is vitally important in decision-making.”

Cllr Ewings said she understood the country needed more homes but claimed that there were planning agreements already in place that would fulfil the government target.

Unfortunately housebuilding had stalled on these sites, including a site in Tavistock, and in Plymouth more than 4,500 homes which have been granted permission have not yet been built.

“There is so much land with planning permission that has been land banked,” she said. “Until the government does something to stop that, this will always be the case.”

The Local Government Association (LGA) has hit out at the new approach to planning. It has warned that the “democratic role of councillors in decision-making” is the “backbone” of the English planning system and this role could be “eroded”. 

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the measures were to ensure the planning process was “streamlined and more efficient” whilst retaining local democratic oversight.

Currently about 95 per cent of planning applications nationally are already delegated to officers.