South Tyneside Council stripped of major planning application authority - here's why

South Tyneside Council has been stripped of its authority to determine major planning applications by the Government.

On Monday the council was one of nine across the country to be hit with a designation notice placing it under special measures in regards to planning.

It means all applications for major developments may now go straight to the Government Planning Inspectorate for a decision if the applicant wishes - instead of being decided by South Tyneside Council.

‘Not adequately performing their function’

The designation notice was signed by the Minister of State for Housing and Planning Matthew Pennycook MP and issued under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

It states the Secretary of State for Ministry of Housing, Communities & LocalGovernment considers "there are respects in which the local planning authority" in South Tyneside "is not adequately performing their function of determining applications for planning permission for major development".

In making the decision, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government "considered data for the two year period ending on 31 March 2025 and subsequent appeals decisions to 31 December 2025".

Cllr Paul Mackings, leader of South Tyneside Council, said they "acknowledge the Government’s decision" and they are "now focused on next steps and the development of our action plan".

‘We take this matter seriously’

He added: "We take this matter seriously, recognising the importance of strong and consistent planning decisions in supporting new homes, jobs and investment.

"We have already started a training programme for members of the planning committee and will continue to ensure this continues to support the new committee not only in the determination of planning applications but to appreciate the requirements of the new national framework.

"This supports a refreshed approach towards economic growth and housing supply for our residents and businesses."

He continued: “It is also important to note that this designation is based on a specific assessment period and does not reflect our overall long-term performance, which was well below designation level both in the two years prior to the assessment period and in the subsequent period to date.

"Furthermore, the council continues to perform strongly in terms of speed of decision-making and quality of decision-making on non-major applications.

“This demonstrates that our performance has been strong both before and since the assessment period, and that the data behind the Government’s designation decision relates only to a very small number of cases where a limited number of appeal decisions had a disproportionate impact in terms of our quality of decision-making on major planning applications.

“We will now work closely with Government and the planning advisory service to ensure the designation can be lifted as soon as possible.”

Council officers have said the designation does not affect major planning applications which the local authority has already received.

They added it will only impact those major planning applications where a developer chooses to submit their application to the Planning Inspectorate rather than to the council.

In September last year the council's planning committee was warned a number of recent lost appeals had tipped the council over a "threshold" that had put the local authority at "risk of designation" by the Government.

At that time council chiefs confirmed the situation was linked to appeals for three 'major' planning applications.

These were the development at the former Simonside Arms site, a battery energy storage system scheme in West Boldon and the Whitburn Lodge housing development.

What the designation impacts

Council bosses added they were taking "a proactive approach to avoid any formal designation" which included "working with the planning advisory service around peer review and further training".

Planning applications involving housing are "major" if they involve 10 or more houses, flats, or other places where people live, or if the number of homes is not provided in the application and the site area is 0.5 hectares or more.

Non-housing applications are considered "major" if the floorspace of the proposed building is 1,000 square metres or more, or if the site area is one hectare or more.

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Developments involving minerals or waste development are also classed as "major".

The designation does not impact smaller planning applications, such as those made by homeowners to alter or extend their houses, which will still be decided by the council's planning department.

This designation will remain in force until revoked by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.