Decision

Background / Decision Summary:
On 24 August 2026 Government published a consultation seeking to gather views on the implementation of planning powers for mayors of strategic authorities in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026. Closing date for the consultation is 5 October 2026.

The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 included provision for Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs) – high-level spatial frameworks, aligned with devolution geographies, that identify broad locations for growth and development, and the necessary infrastructure needed to support it. To ensure mayors have the tools they need to effectively deliver SDSs and drive forward housing and regeneration in their areas, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 gives them new powers over development management. This consultation seeks views on the regulations needed to bring mayoral planning powers into force.

The consultation seeks views on provisions for:
• mayoral powers in relation to planning applications of potential strategic importance, principally for mayors outside London but includes further changes to the approach in London
• Mayoral Development Orders
• Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy for mayors outside London

Separately, it also seeks views on changes to the secondary legislation for Local Development Orders.

The proposed full response from City of York Council to the consultation is attached to this paper as Annex A. The key points covered by the response are that City of York Council supports stronger strategic planning where this delivers genuine benefits across administrative boundaries but considers that planning decisions are best made locally wherever possible. Mayoral powers should therefore complement rather than duplicate local planning functions, with local determination remaining the default and strategic intervention the exception. The test should not simply be whether a development exceeds a prescribed threshold, but whether intervention would deliver a clear strategic benefit that could not reasonably be achieved through the local planning process.