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How the government decides

To call in an application
The policy of the secretary of state is to be very selective about calling in planning applications and generally only does so only if planning issues of more than local importance are involved.

For example, if the application could

  • Raise significant architectural and urban design issues
  • Have wide effects beyond the immediate locality
  • Give rise to substantial national or regional controversy
  • Conflict with national policy on important matters
  • Involve the interests of foreign governments

You can read more about this on page 6 of the Government guidance document The Planning System: General Principles.

In addition, the Government will sometimes call in applications that the local authority has turned down and applicant has appealed against.

In effect this means that the decision is made by the Secretary of State in person rather than by an inspector appointed by him.

This is known as 'recovery' of a planning appeal.

In 2005, some 150 appeals out of 25,000 in total were recovered in this way.

If an application is called in or an appeal recovered, in most cases there will be a public inquiry.

According to a written Ministerial statement in June 2008, a 'recovery' can happen in cases where the application involves the following:

For example

    proposals for development of major importance having more than local significance;

    proposals giving rise to substantial regional or national controversy;

    proposals which raise important or novel issues of development control, and/or legal difficulties;

    proposals against which another Government Department has raised major objections or has a major interest;

    proposals of major significance for the delivery of the Government’s climate change programme and energy policies;

    any proposal for residential development of over 150 units or on sites of over five hectares, which would significantly impact on the Government’s objective to secure a better balance between housing demand and supply and create high quality, sustainable, mixed and inclusive communities;

    proposals which involve any main town centre use or uses (as set out in paragraph 1.8 of PPS6) where that use or uses comprise(s) over 9,000m(2) gross floor space (either as a single proposal or as part of or in combination with other current proposals), and which are proposed on a site in an edge-of-centre or out-of-centre location (as described in Table 2 of PPS6) that is not in accordance with an up-to-date development plan document prepared in accordance with the policy in PPS6;

    proposals for significant development in the green belt;

    major proposals involving the winning and working of minerals; and

    proposals which would have an adverse impact on the outstanding universal value, integrity, authenticity and significance of a World Heritage Site.