News / planning
Bristol’s planning department lifted out of ‘special measures’
Bristol City Council’s planning department has finally been taken out of special measures after nearly two years.
The government announced on Tuesday that the council had made sufficient progress in tackling a massive backlog of applications.
It effectively took over the council department in March 2024 by placing it under “designation” because of how long the stretched team of officers were taking to determine smaller cases.
This meant that not only did the organisation need to meet an agreed set of targets in an action plan but also that people applying for certain types of planning permission could bypass the authority and go directly to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.
The backlog built up following a recruitment freeze and voluntary redundancies in Bristol City Council’s department in 2021 and 2022, along with ongoing problems to attract and keep experienced staff who can command high wages elsewhere.
In February 2025 councillors were told the government had twice rejected a request to take the authority out of special measures and that the council would try for a third time.
Now the planning department has been “de-designated” and the government will step away to let the organisation make its own decisions.
Bristol’s council has regained power over its planning applications after being placed in special measures – photo: Susie Long
In a notice on the government’s website on Tuesday, January 27, Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook said: “The Secretary of State has considered the potential capability of the designated local planning authority to deal effectively with applications for non-major development in the future and the effectiveness of the designated local planning authority in dealing with such applications during the period of its designation.
“The Secretary of State is satisfied that the designated local planning authority has provided adequate evidence of sufficient improvement against areas of weakness identified in an initial assessment of its performance.
“The council would also not be eligible for designation based on the most recent data currently available.
“Having regard to the designation criteria, the Secretary of State considers that it is appropriate to de-designate Bristol City Council with effect from January 27.”
Adam Postans is a local democracy reporter for Bristol
Main photo: Betty Woolerton
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