Rossendale put on government naughty step
The Lancastrian local authority is among the latest councils to be issued with a notice of designation over the performance of its planning department.
Chorley Council was the first in the region to be put into special measures under the performance of its planning department, being issued with a notice of designation in 2023 – the council was then de-designated last year.
Now, Rossendale has joined the list, among a nine-strong cohort of English council planning departments carpeted this week.
Local planning authorities are at risk if more than 10% of decisions are allowed by appeal – for the time period covered, Rossendale’s was 15.4%, the highest of the nine councils to be disciplined.
An LPA can be designated if the secretary of state considers there are respects in which it is not adequately performing its function of determining applications. A designation effectively means that developers seeking planning permission for certain schemes can bypass the council and go directly to the Planning Inspectorate seeking determination.
The performance of LPAs in determining major and non-major development applications can be assessed separately, and it is on major applications that Rossendale’s performance has fallen short.
LPAs are judged both on the speed with which they deal with applications, ie the proportion of proposals that are either dealt with in the statutory time period, or an agreed extended period; and on the quality of decisions they make, calculated by measuring the proportion of decisions later overturned at appeal.
The period concerned has seen data considered over the two-year period ending on 31 March 2025, and subsequent appeals decisions to 31 December 2025 on the quality of decision-making on major developments.
Censuring the LPAs follows fresh government data on planning applications that shows only 261,700 decisions were granted in 2025, a 4% fall year-on-year.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said that designations will remain in place until ministers are convinced that councils can turn around their poor performance and demonstrate they can make quality planning decisions.
MHCLG added that “this is part of a deliberate shift towards tougher national oversight of the planning system, with Ministers prepared to intervene where councils are not meeting expectations and hold them accountable for performance. It sends a clear signal that failure to deliver will no longer be tolerated”.
MHCLG believes that there is a “strong track record that this works” highlighting the turnaround undertaken by Uttlesford Council in Essex.
Signed by housing minister Matthew Pennycook, Rossendale’s designation is in force from today, until the notice is revoked.
Rossendale Council has been contacted for comment.
About time!
By Anon
Not at all surprised. This is a Local Planning Authority that has just announced a New Local Plan setting themselves the shortest possible Adoption timeline and hasn’t updated a single document in the evidence base from their previously Adopted Plan. Waste of time and Taxpayers money.
By Mis-manager
After the disgraceful approval on Parrs Lane, West Lancashire need putting on the naughty step too.
By Anon
Isn’t the Scout Moor wind farm decision due soon?
By Rich X
Any chance of Liverpool being put on measures for their long drawn out application processing, plus their silly height policies which continue to deter some developers.
By Anonymous
Just been through the planning process with Rossendale, absolute shambles to say the least! Second application put in which was changed to abide by first comments report and they granted it with 1 day before the expiry, missing all internal deadlines.
I wish they would understand that for average people this is gives a poor insight into the council as a whole and a lot of people put lives on hold to get planning permission.
Whole council is a joke of inefficiency and ineptitude.
By Anonymous
Coming to a council near Wirral some time soon…
By More Anonymous than the Others
@ By More Anonymous
Wirral Council is in a considerably stronger position than many other local authorities. Although its Local Plan will require updating in the near future, having an up-to-date plan and maintaining a five-year housing land supply is a significant achievement. These factors provide a robust basis for defending against speculative development proposals, especially those affecting Green Belt land.
By Steve Wilson
I agree that Rossendale planning department is power crazy and totally unreasonable with planning applications l. They need to free up land for development of affordable homes. They don’t seem to realise that a windmill is a building in the countryside which they allow but a small scale development they consider as a blot on the landscape. Get real. Who has benefited from the windmills in the valley? Not the residents
By Sunshine
Struggling to understand Anonymous from June 15th at 2.43pm. The application needed amending, the first report set out what the amendments were, the re-application which dealt with those matters was approved within the time limit. There might be things wrong at Rossendale, but that’s a really poor example of it.
By Huh?