Irene Kennedy

Consultation on Reforming Planning

Room 612

Clarence Court

10-18 Adelaide Street

Belfast BT2 8GB

11^th November 2004

Dear Irene

TCPA Response to Proposals to Amend Primary Planning Legislation in Northern Ireland

The TCPA welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation. The charitable purpose of the Town and Country Planning Association is to improve the art and science of town and country planning. It is the only independent organisation for planning and housing covering the UK and the longest established planning body in the world. Its key objectives are to:

1. Secure a decent home for everyone, in a good human-scale environment combining the best features of town and country;

2. Empower people and communities to influence decisions that affect them; and

3. Improve the planning system in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.

The TCPA supports the principle of speeding up the planning system in Northern Ireland and ensuring new policies take effect more quickly on the ground, however, we are not convinced that the proposals as drafted will achieve this. Quality planning takes time and the service needs to be adequately resoursed to deliver quality outcomes. The substantial increase in staff in recent years is to be applauded. However, the average time to process a planning application in Northern Ireland now being six months, and the extended time taken to prepare and adopt development plans compared with Great Britain, is unacceptable.

It is clear therefore that the Department should think carefully before introducing any new burdens into the planning system at this time. It should also consider the option of a morretorium on new speculative development of single dwellings in the countryside until such time as policy is refined and the plan-led system is in place, i.e. reversing the current presumption in favour of these types of development. This would help to reduce the rush of applications brought about as a result of threats to tighten up regulation and also free up officer time to concentrate on preparing development plans.

Changes to speed up the development plan process should be focused on the Department's plan preparation, rebuttal and adoption procedures and not on undermining the Inquiry Process which must remain to protect the right to be heard.

Finally TCPA is concerned at the complete absence of any discussion of Statements of Community Involvement (SCIs). Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, local plans in England (and Wales) are now required by law to be accompanied by an SCI and there is no indication of why the principle should not be extended to Northern Ireland. SCI is one of the key expressions of a right to participate in local plan-making and the development control process.

I hope that you are able to take the TCPA’s views into consideration.

Yours sincerely

Robert Shaw

TCPA Policy Officer