Bolton Council will hold a meeting on November 10 to consider national changes to the planning system.
What are the changes?
Last year, the government updated the National Scheme of Delegation for planning applications.
Under the changes, which come into effect on October 31, more applications would be decided by planning officers rather than by a committee of elected members.
The government has said this would make planning applications quicker, more efficient and reduce the number of decisions overturned on appeal.
Larger and more contentious applications would still need approval from planning committees.
What happens next?
For these changes to be implemented in Bolton, there must first be an amendment to the council constitution agreed by a vote at Full Council.
At a meeting on October 7, Full Council voted against amending the constitution to incorporate the new National Scheme of Delegation.
The matter will next be considered by Full Council on November 10.
How will this impact my planning application?
Nationally the new rules will apply from October 31.
This means Bolton Council will not legally be allowed to hold Planning Committee Meetings or determine any planning applications, after this date unless and until the constitution is amended.
The council will continue to receive and assess new and existing applications during this period.
Unfortunately disruption to the planning system locally and delays to decisions are inevitable.