Wychavon vows to fight
government imposed planning sanction
Date published: 15 June 2026
Wychavon has vowed to fight to overturn a government planning sanction which could allow decisions on major development to be taken nationally.
The Government has designated Wychavon under Section 62A of the Town and Country Planning Act because, over a two-year period from 2023 to 2025, 10.7 per cent of major planning applications refused by the council were later allowed on appeal. This is slightly above the Government’s accepted limit of ten per cent.
Designation means developers submitting certain major planning applications can choose to bypass the council and instead apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate, which will decide on the council’s behalf. Major applications already submitted will continue to be decided by the council, as will applications for smaller developments and from householders. The sanction remains in place until Wychavon has satisfied government officials the situation has improved.
Wychavon strongly disputes the Government’s decision and is now considering all options available to challenge it, including legal action. The council acknowledges that while historically there have been some performance issues, the position is now much improved.
Since the arrival of current planning director Ian MacLeod in early 2024 the performance of the planning service has been transformed following a significant restructure. Backlogs have been eliminated with further training provided to councillors with support from the Planning Advisory Service and a dedicated team created to oversee major applications.
Data from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2026 shows just 5.2% of applications the council refused were allowed on appeal, while current performance is well below the 10 per cent designation threshold.
The transformation of Wychavon’s planning service has been so impressive it was recognised by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) as West Midlands team of the Year and is shortlisted for a national award.
Cllr Emma Kearsey, Wychavon’s Executive Board Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Urban Design, said: “How dare they! This is an outrageous decision by a government that thinks it can simply dictate to local communities in complete defiance of the evidence and common sense.
“We have no problem with accountability. We do have an issue with a decision based on historic data that ignores the reality of the planning service we have today.
“What’s even more appalling is they have decided to do this when we have just adopted the South Worcestershire Development Plan Review, releasing over 25,000 homes for development and bringing forward major projects such as Wychavon Town at pace. This designation undermines their own ambitions for growth and housing delivery.
“Communities such as Drakes Broughton and Badsey have already endured levels of development that have fundamentally changed the character of those villages. The reward for councillors who stood up for those communities is apparently to have their decisions taken away from them by those in Westminster and handed to inspectors with no knowledge of Wychavon or the people who live here.
“We will challenge this affront to local democracy and fight to return decisions on major planning applications to democratically elected councillors as soon as possible.”