Kingston Reflects on Planning Changes Commencing October

New national rules coming into force on 31 October 2026 will alter how planning applications are decided across England, and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames has set out what they mean locally. The changes stem from the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 and accompanying regulations, and form part of the Government's drive to boost housebuilding.

The aim is a quicker and more consistent system in which planning officers handle routine applications, leaving Kingston's Planning Committee to concentrate on larger and more complex schemes. A new gateway test sets out which applications must legally be decided by officers and which can go to committee; the council says this broadly matches its current practice.

An application that officers are not required to decide can still go to the Planning Committee if it raises a significant local issue, for example on economic, social, environmental or policy grounds, but only if the nominated officer and a councillor both agree.

The biggest local change affects Kingston's neighbourhood committees, which will lose their power to decide planning applications from 31 October. Residents can still view and comment on every application, and councillors will continue to represent local views. Neighbourhood committees will still be consulted on major applications, and the chairs and vice-chairs of the relevant and adjoining neighbourhoods will have specific rights to speak at Planning Committee.

The council's constitution will be updated accordingly. The proposals were due to go to the Corporate and Resources Committee on 24 September and Full Council on 13 October.

Source: UK Property Forums, original article (22 September 2026)