The council came “perilously close” to being placed in special measures – and having the Planning Inspectorate instead of elected councillors making decisions – after almost ten per cent of its decisions to refuse planning permission were overturned at appeal.
It brought in a “streamlined” committee system with fewer but more experienced councillors and a “more professional” training approach in October last year, reducing the number of refusals.
The changes were to be reviewed after nine months, but no review has taken place because the Government has since said it hopes to make further changes to the way councillors on planning committees and officers using delegated powers decide schemes.
Senior councillors and officers agreed any formal review should be delayed until at least 12 months from the start of the new committee structure to allow for the outcome of the consultation on the government’s changes.
Details of these proposals are outlined in a report to Epping Forest District Council’s place scrutiny committee, but they include suggestions that planning officers should automatically make any decisions including householder developments, minor commercial and minor residential developments.
Planning committes would make decisions on major applications for significant new housing and commercial developments, any application where the applicant is the local authority, a councillor or officer and reviews of mineral planning conditions.
In a statement on its website, the council says these changes “remain proposals” and officers have recommended delaying the review until the government finalises its new proposals.
The council said: “Democracy is alive and well at Epping Forest District Council.”
Since the introduction of the new structure, the number of refusals has dropped from 27.7 per cent to 11.9 per cent, and the number of approved homes has risen from 178 to 595.
Figures show that between October 2023 and September 2024, 65 applications were determined, of which 12 were major applications and 19 were householder applications. The committee refused 18 applications, of which four were major applications, with 16 turned down against officers’ recommendations.
Between October 2024 and September 2025, 42 applications were considered by the committee, of which 12 were major applications and three were householder applications. A total of five were refused; two of which were major applications and four were refused against officers’ advice.
The council said: “The changes to the council’s planning system have streamlined the process. However, any councillor is free to attend and speak at any meeting of any planning committee.
“No one has been silenced and councillors always listen most carefully to the local knowledge and views of fellow councillors who know their own patch best.
“The committee system also continues to allow and encourage, applicants, agents, objectors and parish council representatives to attend and speak in person at meetings.”
The council also emphasised that its planning meetings remain fully transparent and accessible to the public.
It said: “All Epping Forest District Council’s planning committee meetings are held in public and are webcast, allowing public and media to watch them live, remote, recorded or in person.”
The council said it is too early to tell whether the changes have improved the number of application refusals overturned at appeal, as large planning applications can take up to two years to be processed by the Planning Inspectorate.
