Introduction: Peter Ford (Principal Consultant)

The much-anticipated publication of the NPPF will now have to wait a bit longer. Nevertheless, we are keeping ourselves very busy at PAS. We have held workshops on the planning committee reforms and you can now find the write ups from these workshops on our website. We also still have places on our Leadership Essentials residential courses in October and January. These very popular courses are for chairs / vice chairs of planning committees and Planning portfolio holders. With the changes happening both for planning committees and local plans, these will be invaluable for your members.

We also have a whole series of officer networks that we operate that cover the full range of activities in PAS's programme. This is the best way to find out what is happening at PAS on a day-to-day basis and to hear first about events or new announcements. If you need more information on our networks just contact PAS@local.gov.uk

Autumn promises to be a busy time for planning so enjoy your summer holidays if you are lucky enough to have a break and I hope you come back fully charged in Autumn ready for an exciting time for planners.

Peter Ford, Principal Consultant

Getting to know us: who’s who at PAS!

Our team has expanded; if you would like to know who does what at PAS, please visit our website where we have each written a summary of our roles.

Planning Committee Reforms: Regulations and post-event materials

The Chief Planner’s Letter about planning committees, biodiversity net gain, and planning fees (21 July 2026) has now been issued which draws attention to The Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026 having been made. These requirements apply to all relevant local planning authorities in England and come into effect on 31 October 2026.

Earlier this month we hosted two successful in-person events in London and Manchester for planning and legal officers on the practical implementation of the planning committee reforms and the presentations are now available. These sessions followed on from the introductory webinars in held in April 2026 and online workshops held in May 2026. Best practice guidance material on how to implement the changes will be available in the coming weeks.

Application Fees and Localised Fee Setting

On 16 July 2026 the Government published its response to the Fees for Planning Applications Consultation. There's an accompanying written ministerial statement (WMS), and the draft regulations

We consider that the Government's response provides much greater certainty and that LPAs should now begin preparing the evidence, costing methodologies and governance arrangements needed for local fee setting. We can help you now in anticipation of the regulations later this year. See our top 10 highlights of the consultation response.

BNG: Changes from 6 August 2026

Various changes to the biodiversity net gain regime will apply to planning applications made on or after 6 August 2026:

1. New exemptions for:

• developments of 0.2 hectare or less
• temporary development
• both apply only if priority habitat is not impacted.

2. Easing of biodiversity gain hierarchy for minor development.

3. Removal of existing self and custom build exemption.

The BNG PPG provides further information.

Councillor training: Planning Committee Chairs and Local Plan Leaders

10/11 October 2026; and 19/20 January 2027, Warwick

There are a few places available on our Leadership Essentials for councillors sessions in October and January. We’re hosting two sessions for Committee Chairs and for local plan leaders/portfolio holders preparing local plans.

There has been lots of change around plan making and planning committee processes recently, and these two-day courses will focus on changes in the planning process and the specific skills of these key roles. There is a cost to access the session, but we are heavily subsidising this.

To find out more visit our events page or to book a place, please contact: grace.collins@local.gov.uk. Places are limited; book as soon as possible.

GIS training: get your data ready

In September and October we are running a number of GIS training courses designed for officers who are new to mapping and QGIS, or those who are familiar with GIS but would like to hone their skills. There will also be sessions data on standards and the pathway to publishing data on the MHCLG Planning Data Platform. Find out more and book your place on a GIS training course

Service leaders residential course: Planning value: Investment, innovation and improvement cohort 2026

At PAS we sometimes run small cohorts for senior people in councils. It's an opportunity to join a small group of your peers exploring important questions in a relaxed environment. We're excited; it's hard work but one of our favourite things to do.

The format is a two day residential session, run twice. On the agenda are three of the biggest questions:

• How much does your service cost?
• How ready are you and your team for AI, digital services and the innovation and change that is coming our way?
• What does your service do for your place?

If this sounds like what you need, see more detail on our events page

New Local Plans: Navigating the system

100 authorities have published a ‘notice to commence’ a Local Plan within the new plan-making system and we are keen to gather learning and feedback on how you navigated this early stage.

Our Local Plan Leaders Network is a great place to share learnings and seek advice as you move to the next stage. You can post messages on the forum (hosted on basecamp) or attend our monthly drop in. To join, please add your details to the PAS Local Plan Leaders Network form.

We are currently working on how we best support authorities who are moving to Gateway 1. Keep an eye on future editions of this bulletin and join the Network for updates.

New Local Plans: Planning Inspectorate webinar recording

The Planning Inspectorate ran a webinar and live Q&A session for LPAs who will be preparing a plan under the new local plans system, introduced by the 2026 regulations. The webinar provides a walkthrough of the new Procedure Guide and some useful information on the Gateways.

The recording and slides are available on the Planning Inspectorate website. An FAQ from the event is due to be published in due course.

Pathways to Planning: Recruiting a talented graduate

Councils are invited to express interest in recruiting a talented graduate from a new pool in Cohort 4. First interviews are November 2026 and onboarding is expected from January to March 2027.

This year, a greater variety of needs within built environment careers will be met. There is more information about these strands, programme timelines and a link to our application form, on our website for employers. Sign up via the online application form, up to 18 September 2026.

Contact pathways.planning@local.gov.uk with any questions.

Share your insights on the Strategic Sites Toolkit

David Lock Associates is reviewing and updating our toolkit for supporting the effective delivery of strategic sites.

To inform the review, we’ve created a questionnaire for authorities to give us their views. The form takes a few minutes to complete and will be invaluable in helping to shape and update the guidance for authorities and their partners.

We will also be holding an in-person workshop in September to help steer the review of the Strategic Sites Toolkit. You can request a place at this workshop through the questionnaire.

AI: Guidance on using it to engage with the planning process

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly being used by the public to help prepare representations to planning applications and local plan consultations. We have been working with councils to understand this more, leading to the production of guidelines for AI platforms and AI prompts for people wishing to use AI platforms to generate planning representations.

National policy for ports: upcoming DfT events

The National Policy Statement for Ports (NPSP) is now being finalised before being laid before Parliament. This marks an important step forward, setting out the Government’s updated framework for decision-making on nationally significant port infrastructure projects.

To support stakeholders in understanding the changes, the Department for Transport (DfT) will be hosting online events, which will provide an overview of the key updates to the NPSP, including how these may affect future planning applications and broader strategic priorities. Pick only one (they are all the same):

• Tuesday 21 July, 3.00pm-4.30pm
• Tuesday 11 August, 1.00pm-2.30pm
• Thursday 27 August, 11.00am-12.30pm