National Scheme of Delegation

From 31 October 2026, the National Scheme of Delegation will change how planning applications are allocated for decision by council planning officers or the Planning and Development Committee.

Why are these changes happening?

The changes are required by national regulations and apply to relevant local planning authorities in England.

Previously, each council set its own local arrangements for deciding which applications were determined by officers and which were considered by a planning committee. The national scheme introduces a consistent framework across England so that committees can focus on the proposals that matter most locally, while more minor and technical applications are decided by planning officers.

What are the changes?

The national scheme places applications into two schedules.

Schedule 1: these applications must be determined by planning officers. They include:

• Householder development.
• Minor residential development: development of 1 to 9 homes, or residential development on a site of less than 0.5 hectares where the number of homes is not specified.
• Minor commercial development: development creating less than 1,000 square metres of floorspace and/or on a site of less than 1 hectare.
• Approval of details, also known as the discharge of conditions.
• Reserved matters applications relating to an outline planning permission that is not a large outline permission.
• Non-material amendments.
• Certificates of lawfulness.

Schedule 2: these applications will normally be determined by planning officers. In certain circumstances, an application may be referred to the Planning and Development Committee if it is eligible under the council’s arrangements and passes the Gateway Test. Schedule 2 includes:

• Applications that are not householder, minor commercial or minor residential development.
• Listed building consent, including applications to vary or discharge conditions.
• Reserved matters applications relating to a large outline planning permission.
• Advertisement consent.
• Consent for works to a tree protected by a tree preservation order.

You can find more information about the application categories on the GOV.UK website.

Existing local arrangements that automatically send an application to committee, including councillor call-in requests, will no longer apply in their current form. Any request concerning a Schedule 2 application must follow the new referral arrangements and Gateway Test.

The Gateway Test

A Schedule 2 application can be referred to the Planning and Development Committee only if it is eligible for referral under the Council’s arrangements and passes the Gateway Test.

The council is introducing a Gateway Referral Request process for ward councillors. A councillor may submit a written request explaining why they consider that the application meets one or both of the following criteria:

• It raises one or more issues of economic, social or environmental significance to the local area.
• It raises one or more significant planning matters, having regard to the development plan and any other material considerations.

The application may be referred to the Planning and Development Committee only where both the council’s nominated officer and nominated member agree that at least one Gateway Test criterion is met. For Stevenage, these roles are the Director of Planning and Regulation (or equivalent) and the Chair of the Planning and Development Committee (or equivalent).

How applications will be determined

The way we publicise planning applications and consult residents, interested parties, and statutory and non-statutory consultees will not change. You will still be able to view applications and submit comments before a decision is made.

Planning officers will continue to assess every application against the development plan and any other material planning considerations. The scheme changes who makes the decision; it does not change the planning policies or considerations used to assess an application.

Application documents will continue to be available on our online planning register. Officer reports and decision notices will also be published where available.

For Schedule 2 applications, we will publish the outcome of the referral process, confirming whether the application will be determined by planning officers or referred to the Planning and Development Committee.