Development Management Funding 2025/6

Overview

In order to meet the government's 1.5 million homes and economic growth amibitions, it is essential that planning applications move through the system as quickly as possible, particularly those at the post-permission stage, where housing has the potential to be delivered more quickly but reserved matters and discharge of conditions approvals often take time.  

The government has announced that it will issue £8 million in development management funding this financial year to help local planning authorities with high economic growth potential and high volumes of major residential schemes at the post-outline stage. 

This includes £3 million for the Greater London Authority (GLA) to support London boroughs with development management and to help them implement the measures in the emergency package announced on 23 October 2025. 

Allocation criteria  

Funding will be allocated on the basis of Glenigan data for residential development, to local planning authorities with over 1,000 residential units pending a decision, spread across a minimum of 10 applications for major development submitted between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2025.  

This targets local planning authorities handling high volumes of units spread over  multiple applications, where resourcing pressures are greatest and Planning Performance Agreements less common. These local planning authorities often deal with smaller or medium developments, likely to be delivered faster and involve SME developers, maximising impact on housing delivery. 

Funding will also be allocated to those local planning authorities within AI Growth Zones and the Oxford-to-Cambridge Growth Corridor. 

Eligible local planning authorities will be awarded a share of the £5 million national development management fund. Eligible London authorities will receive their share of funding via the £3 million GLA award. 

How to submit an Expression of Interest

If you are eligible for development management funding, an email will have been sent to your local authority planning department. You should only complete this form if your local planning authority has received notification of eligibility, otherwise it will not be accepted. 

The Expression of Interest will ask local planning authorities that are eligible for development management funding to confirm: 

• They have been informed in writing by MHCLG that they are eligible for development management funding 

• What types of activities funding will be used to support  

• What their key milestones will be 

• That they commit to have proposals in place by March 2026 on how they will spend the funding 

• That they agree to collaborate with MHCLG over monitoring and evaluation requirements if required 

• That their section 151 officer, or deputy section 151 officer, supports the Expression of Interest  

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