Four years after Cheshire East Council commissioned a review of its planning service, questions remain about communication, accountability and the ability of the system to support development across the borough.
Planning has never been a particularly straightforward process. Nor should it be. The decisions made by local planning authorities shape our towns, villages and countryside for generations. They deserve careful consideration, professional scrutiny and meaningful public engagement. But there is a fundamental difference between a planning system that is rigorous and one that is simply difficult to navigate. For architects and other professionals working across Cheshire East, that distinction is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Unanswered correspondence, unsuccessful callback requests, unpredictable determination periods and limited opportunities for meaningful dialogue have become familiar frustrations. For those attempting to guide clients through the planning process, the challenge is no longer simply securing permission. It is establishing when, or sometimes whether, meaningful engagement with the authority will take place. And these frustrations have consequences.
Behind every planning application is someone making a commitment. A family investing in their home. A business seeking to expand. A developer assessing the viability of a site. An owner trying to secure the future of a historic building. Uncertainty carries a cost. Delays affect investment decisions, construction programmes, professional resources and ultimately confidence in the system itself.
A familiar problem
In 2022, Cheshire East Council published the findings of a comprehensive review of its planning service. The review acknowledged significant operational challenges, including capacity pressures, outdated technology, inefficient processes and shortcomings in customer experience. These were not isolated concerns raised by dissatisfied applicants. They were problems recognised by the authority itself. A programme of modernisation and service transformation followed, intended to address those shortcomings. Four years later, an important question deserves to be asked: what has materially changed for the people who rely on the service?
It would be unreasonable to suggest that local planning authorities operate without considerable pressures. Recruitment difficulties, growing regulatory complexity, financial constraints and increasing workloads are genuine challenges. But acknowledging those pressures cannot become a substitute for accountability, nor can persistent communication failures be accepted as an unavoidable feature of the planning process. Professional dialogue should not be a luxury. It is fundamental to an effective planning system.
An opportunity for collective scrutiny
At Hamer Way Architects, we believe the time has come for a broader, evidence-led conversation about the performance of Cheshire East's planning service. Not another collection of individual complaints, but a coordinated assessment of the experiences of architects, planning consultants, developers and other built-environment professionals working across the borough. We are therefore exploring the publication of The State of Planning in Cheshire East 2026 - An Independent Review of Planning Performance, Professional Experience and Opportunities for Improvement.
The intention is to examine the relationship between the Council's previously identified challenges, the improvements subsequently introduced and the experiences of those engaging with the service today. It should be an opportunity to recognise progress where it has been made, identify where difficulties persist and establish what practical changes might improve confidence in the planning process. Ultimately, this is not about making planning easier at the expense of good decision-making. It is about making the process more transparent, responsive and predictable for everyone involved. Cheshire East deserves a planning service capable of supporting its ambitions for housing, regeneration, heritage and economic growth.
The question is whether the system we have today is equipped to deliver them.
Hamer Way Architects is inviting expressions of interest from built-environment professionals who would like to contribute to this proposed independent review. We welcome perspectives from across the profession, including those with positive experiences and practical suggestions for improvement.
