PRESS STATEMENT – PRESS STATEMENT – PRESS STATEMENT

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SDLP MLA BURNS: MORE EFFICIENCY REQUIRED FROM PLANNING SERVICE
 

SDLP South Antrim MLA Thomas Burns has said ‘the Planning Service has a lot more to do’ to ensure they meet targets and provide an efficient and effective service.

Mr Burns, who was responding to the Planning Service’s first annual statistics report said, “Quite clearly the Planning Service has a lot more to do, not least because it lacks the necessary manpower and doesn’t have enough resources. The fact that more and more new graduates with planning qualifications are better paid in the private sector hasn’t helped either. The latter point is one that the Department has been choosing to ignore and in my view the Minister must deal with it urgently.

“For many of the applications not processed in time there is a further cost - in many cases the grant-aid on offer was conditional on planning permission coming through on time. I have no doubt that this is a significant lost for the wider economy.  

“If our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland have a system where all applications are dealt with in three months then we just have to match that.”

The latest figures indicate that 1455 residential and 150 commercial applications have not been decided in the Ballymena Division, which covers Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Larne and Magherafelt.

Decisions are categorised into major, intermediate and minor types of planning applications, based on the development and type of land use.  On average in 2006/07 Ballymena Division issued decisions, or applications were withdrawn, for major planning applications within 27 weeks, intermediate planning applications within 31.8 weeks and minor planning applications within 12.2 weeks.  Planning applications refer to full or outline applications only and exclude reserved matters, various consents including consent to display and certificates of lawfulness.

ENDS