Westminster city council has reported a marked slowdown in big ticket planning applications received so far this year, with major applications subject to planning performance agreements (PPAs) down by 42%.

In an update to members of the city council’s planning and city development committee this week, head of planning John Walker said a combination of factors appeared to be to blame, including developer uncertainty surrounding the UK’s departure from the European Union and the slowdown of central London’s residential market.

While Walker said the total volume of applications received by the council had only dipped by around 5% in the year to date, the biggest fall had been major applications that would be dealt with using so-called PPAs – where officers agree a bespoke timescale with developers. For the largest schemes, the PPA will also require a bespoke fee.

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