This meeting of Camden Council's Planning Committee included reports on a wide range of topics including; national planning reforms, the digitisation of the planning process, updates on performance and planning enforcement, and proposed changes to the Planning Protocol in the Council's constitution.

Planning Reform Update

The Committee was provided with an update on planning reforms proposed by the new government.

This included proposals to increase the proportion of new homes that must be let at social rent levels, and to amend national planning policy so that proposals on 'suitable brownfield land... should be regarded as acceptable in principle'.¹

The report explained Camden Council's view that these proposals could have a negative impact on the Council's ability to use its planning policies to ensure that new development in the borough is high quality and meets local priorities.

The Committee was also informed about proposals to increase the fees that local councils are allowed to charge for processing planning applications, and for government funding for local council planning departments to be increased.

Enforcement, Trees and Appeals Performance Update

The Committee was provided with an update on the work of the planning enforcement team, including examples of recent enforcement action taken to require unauthorised works to be removed or for properties to be returned to their lawful use.

The report highlighted that the Council had successfully prosecuted Shakib & Co, a real estate investment firm based at 9 Crossfield Road, for displaying a large unauthorised advertisement on their building in Belsize Park Conservation Area.

The Committee was also informed about the Council’s enforcement action to require properties that are being used without planning permission for short-term holiday lets to be returned to use as permanent homes.

The report explains that:

In Camden, we estimate there are at least 6000 entire properties being used for short term letting.

It explains that the Council has previously lobbied the government to introduce new planning rules and a mandatory register for short-term lets, and that the Council is concerned about government proposals that would grant automatic planning permission to existing short-term lets.

Proposed changes to the Planning Protocol

The Committee was asked to consider proposed changes to the Planning Protocol which is part of the Council’s constitution.

This included a proposal to change the membership of the Strategic Panel², to reflect changes to the responsibilities of the council’s cabinet members, and to include the cabinet member responsible for housing.

The report also proposed that training for members of the Planning Committee should include occasional mandatory training sessions that deal with any recent technical, legal, procedural, or policy issues affecting the functioning of the Planning Committee.

Digital Planning Update

The Committee received an update on the Council’s “Digital Planning” program.

This included information about the Council’s continuing work with the government and other local councils to develop the “Open Digital Planning” ecosystem.

The report provided information about Camden Council’s new online service, developed with the government’s support, which enables people to find out whether they need planning permission for works they want to carry out. It explains that:

Since introducing the service, we have seen a 60% reduction in planning duty calls

The report explained that Camden Council is developing a new online Digital Planning Register to provide the public with information about planning applications and decisions, which is being designed to exceed the minimum statutory requirements.

Policy Update

The Committee received an update on recent and emerging changes to planning policy and guidance documents that affect Camden.

The report provided an update on the Council’s progress in preparing a new Camden Local Plan, and a new Euston Area Plan³, both of which are due to be submitted for Examination in Spring 2025. The report explains that, following consultation, officers are now updating both plans to take account of the comments that were received.

The report also provided an update on the progress of Neighbourhood Plans in the borough, noting that Hampstead Neighbourhood Forum is preparing an update to its Neighbourhood Plan.

The Committee was also updated on the progress of a number of non-statutory planning guidance documents for various areas in the borough, including Bloomsbury, Camden Town, Gospel Oak and Holborn.

Development Management Performance Report

The Committee received a report on the performance of the Council’s Development Management team, which is responsible for determining planning applications.

The report explained that, in response to the government’s proposals to reform the planning system, the Council has changed the way it processes planning applications, so that applications are determined more quickly. The report explains that:

all applications received from May 2024 onwards [are] to be determined within statutory timeframes without the use of EoTs⁴. This has the benefit of applications being determined quicker, however it does mean there is limited opportunity to negotiation changes to schemes.

The report explained that the government proposes to introduce new performance targets for local council planning departments, and set out the Council's performance against these new targets.

The report also provided information on the performance of the Council’s Local Land Charges team. The Local Land Charges team maintains a register of information about properties in the borough, and responds to search requests made as part of the conveyancing process. The report explains that the average time taken to process a search request peaked in Q1 at 31.5 days (exceeding the statutory 10 day limit), but that the backlog of requests has now been cleared. It explains that:

The purpose of the HM Land Registry migration project is to help speed up the conveyancing process and will enable customers to have instant online access to conduct a search of the Local Land Charges Register. It is expected that the Local Land Charges Register will be fully migrated to HM Land Registry by Autumn 2025.