Reason-Giving and Decision Recording
Planning decisions are not judged solely by their outcome. They are judged by the reasons that were given and the way those reasons were formally recorded at the point of decision.
Why reasons matter in planning decisions
In planning governance, reasons explain why a particular outcome was reached having regard to the material considerations. They are not a narrative account of the process and they are not a justification written after the fact.
Clear reasons allow an external reader to understand what mattered, what was weighed, and how the decision-makers arrived at their conclusion.
Reason-giving is not a formality
Reason-giving is sometimes treated as a procedural requirement rather than a substantive one. This creates risk. A decision without clear reasons is difficult to test, even where the outcome appears reasonable.
Good reasons identify the main decision issues, reference the evidence and policy relied upon, and explain how competing considerations were balanced.
Decision recording fixes the decision in law
Decision recording is the process by which the decision becomes fixed and defensible. The formal record — including the officer report, any update papers, the resolution, and the decision notice — is treated as the decision itself.
Informal discussion, internal understanding, or unrecorded debate does not substitute for what appears in that record.
Discussed issues versus relied-upon reasons
A common weakness arises where it is assumed that because an issue was discussed, it necessarily informed the decision. In governance terms, this distinction matters.
Only matters that are clearly identified as material and reflected in the recorded reasons can be said to have genuinely carried weight in the decision.
The relationship between evidence and reasons
Large application files may contain extensive technical material. However, evidence supports a decision only if it is brought into the reasoning and relied upon in a demonstrable way.
Where reasons do not clearly link back to the underlying evidence, the decision record becomes vulnerable to scrutiny.
Why this is a governance issue
Reason-giving and decision recording are central to procedural fairness. They allow interested parties to see that the decision was reached through a structured and lawful process.
Where reasons are unclear, incomplete, or inconsistent with the record, it becomes difficult to demonstrate that the decision was evidence-led rather than outcome-driven.