UK government plans to grant 13 regional mayors powers to overrule local planning decisions

New planning thresholds and call-in authority

Prime Minister Andy Burnham will present proposals to grant regional mayors across England powers to take control of local planning decisions and approve large-scale developments. Under the framework, mayors will be able to call in applications from local councils and direct them to approve or reject the schemes. Mayors will also hold the authority to issue upfront permission, allowing developers to start construction without submitting standard individual applications. Ministers will retain backstop intervention powers, while decisions must remain aligned with local area plans and national planning policy.

The intervention powers apply to residential developments containing more than 150 homes, commercial projects exceeding 15,000 square metres, and buildings measuring 30 metres or taller (roughly 10 storeys). A formal consultation detailing how the framework will function will be published next week.

Expansion across combined authorities

The policy extends planning powers to 13 mayoral combined authorities across England, aligning them with London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan. Khan received emergency call-in powers earlier this year to unblock stalled development sites and construct thousands of affordable homes. The 13 areas include Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West of England, West Midlands, North East England, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York and North Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, Greater Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, East Midlands, and Tees Valley.

Ten of the 14 devolved mayors from different political parties have backed the proposal. In addition to planning call-ins, regional leaders will gain greater authority over the distribution of national housing funding through Homes England, with ministers directing the agency to align with mayoral priorities. Mayors will also receive the ability to charge development levies to fund local infrastructure projects.

Delivery pressures on national housing targets

The government introduced the measures as part of its target to build 1.5 million homes in England within five years, a commitment made in the 2024 general election. The government is currently just over a quarter of the way toward reaching that figure, while housebuilders have warned that the overall target could be missed. Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook described the powers as an essential part of the toolkit needed to deliver homes and regeneration.

Addressing the delivery timeline, Pennycook noted that nearly 180,000 children remain in temporary accommodation across England. He stated that the scale of the housing shortfall required ambitious construction numbers.

In my view, it will prompt a much more joined-up discussion about planning and local authorities. I think knowing the mayor has that role, councils will come to the mayor and say: 'How can we work this thing out so that it is acceptable?'

Opposition and local democracy concerns

The proposals drew criticism from opposition parties regarding the reduction of local council authority. Conservatives questioned whether local authorities should lose the ability to make planning determinations for their own communities. Liberal Democrat housing and planning spokesperson Gideon Amos labelled the policy a direct attack that would silence residents.

Burnham, who previously served as Mayor of Greater Manchester for nearly a decade, acknowledged concerns that devolving planning powers could disempower local councillors, MPs, and residents. He argued that mayoral oversight would create a balanced mechanism to challenge poor local decisions.

Sometimes... challenge does need to be made to local decision-making, and actually it cuts both ways. It's not all about nimbyism. Sometimes it's the other way round. It's a local authority putting forward something that's unacceptable in terms of the impact on the community... so it's a two-way street.