The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill represents a significant step forward in empowering mayors across the country with planning and regeneration powers currently available only in London.
The Bill extends mayoral development orders, enabling mayors to grant upfront planning permission for key housing and infrastructure projects — particularly those crossing council boundaries — and streamlines the process for establishing Mayoral Development Corporations (MDCs) to deliver large-scale regeneration.
Robbie Calvert, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the Royal Town Planning Institute, said: “This Bill marks a significant milestone in the devolution agenda, enabling a more meaningful transfer of powers over transport, housing, economic development and public services to Mayoral Strategic Authorities.
“Equipping elected mayors with extensive new delivery powers could strengthen investor confidence across all types of development and help accelerate the delivery of much-needed housing and infrastructure. The Bill also lays out further wide-ranging duties, including addressing health inequalities strategically across various areas.
“We are encouraged by the additional clarity the Bill brings on the role of Strategic Planning Authorities in coordinating development across wider areas, which has the potential to deliver better outcomes for communities. However, we remain concerned about the practical challenges of implementation — in particular, the resourcing gap, with 150–200 additional planners likely to be needed to deliver Strategic Development Strategies effectively.
“It is also vital that communities are brought with us on this devolution journey. Meaningful community engagement must be embedded in the preparation of Strategic Development Strategies to ensure the benefits of growth are widely shared.
“To truly fulfil the promise of devolution, these new powers must be matched by investment in planning skills and capacity, and a strong commitment to public participation.”
