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Current TopicsPlanning Reform Update: Northern Ireland
There has been much talk about planning reform in Northern Ireland over the last few years and a number of publications from DoE on the topic, but limited progress in speeding up decision making on planning applications. The two initiatives which have been implemented – the setting up of the Strategic Projects Team to deal with major applications through a pre application discussion (PAD) process and the speeding up in the processing of minor applications in the Derry and Ballymena planning offi ces - have been a step in the right direction.
However, the lack of progress in relation to the bulk of planning applications dealt with by the
divisional offices of Planning Service is frustrating to developers who time and time again fi nd that relatively simple applications are taking years to be determined. Whilst acknowledging that some of the blame can be laid at the hands of agents who submit poorly prepared planning applications with inadequate supporting information, this compares very badly with the situation in England where many local planning authorities take less than 8 weeks to determine similar applications. In addition the development plan system is out of date and too complex, resulting in policy gaps which slow down the decision making process on planning applications which are of signifi cance to the future prosperity of the NI economy.
Will the emerging proposals on planning reform shortly to be brought to the Northern Ireland
Assembly by Sammy Wilson make things any better?
This briefing note (see link below) is intended to give you an outline of what is proposed and comment briefly on the expected impact on our clients.
Planning Reform Update - Northern Ireland (February 2009)
There has been much talk about planning reform in Northern Ireland over the last few years and a number of publications from DoE on the topic, but limited progress on speeding up decision making on planning applications.