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England planning consultation: overhauling the statutory consultee regime—removing some bodies, raising referral thresholds, and introducing performance management and a planning fee surcharge; practical impacts for LPAs and developers

Published on: 18 November 2025

Published by a LexisNexis Planning expert
Legal News
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Article summary

On 18 November 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government opened a consultation to reshape England’s statutory consultee system, closing on 13 January 2026. It sets out a major reset of how consultees interact with planning. The reforms point to quicker, more proportionate and growth-orientated decisions, while placing greater emphasis on early, targeted engagement, robust in-house processes and awareness of updated referral routes.

What is the background to the proposals?

The government considers the current statutory consultee arrangements to be ineffective. Consultees are often said to reply too slowly, to revisit matters already resolved at plan-making, and to press for outcomes beyond what is necessary to make development acceptable in planning terms. The changes therefore seek a system that is more proportionate, timely and focused on enabling sustainable development. The consultation forms part of a broader planning reform agenda to empower local planning authorities (LPAs), support growth and improve performance across the planning system.

Key proposals on which views are sought

Removing statutory consultee status

The government proposes withdrawing statutory consultee status from a small number...

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