RTPI report warns of mounting pressures undermining Wales’s planning system
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has published a report warning that Wales’s planning system is operating under sustained pressure, with real‑terms funding cuts, widespread vacancies and rising statutory demands placing the delivery of core functions at risk. It argues that, despite modest structural increases in planning posts, most authorities lack the capacity needed to meet government ambitions, as fee income continues to fall short of service costs and specialist expertise remains difficult to secure. The report states that years of underinvestment, combined with the expansion of duties around climate, nature recovery, nutrient neutrality and digital transformation, have left planners firefighting rather than shaping long‑term outcomes. It contends that national bodies such as the Welsh Government Planning Division, Planning and Environment Decisions Wales, and Natural Resources Wales face parallel constraints, limiting their ability to provide strategic leadership and timely policy support. Published as fee increases and investment commitments begin to take effect, the report stresses that reinvestment of new revenue into planning services must be treated as an explicit policy requirement.