Planning applicants in Lisburn and Castlereagh are facing new check-lists amid concerns over decision making delays.
A review of the recently updated Northern Ireland planning portal has generated a council desire for a more efficient box ticking approach to avoid major delays.
The council’s development committee approved the strategy in the wake of a 2022 NI Audit Office report slamming the Northern Ireland planning system as “not fit for purpose”.
Read more: Lisburn and Castlereagh council has 17 planning approvals quashed after legal challenge.
Downshire West UUP Alderman Jim Dillon said: “This will save some amount of time running back and forth to applicants. I recall years ago attending a planning meeting in England on an application that went on for three hours.
“At the end I just didn’t have the will to live, it was a total and utter disaster.”
Downshire East UUP councillor, Alex Swan added that he was “surprised it is not in place already”.
Head of planning and capital investment, Conor Hughes replied: “There are similar check-lists in England and Wales that bring about an efficiency in processing times.
“We will now look to produce a validation check list for applicants.
“There are a significant amount of applicants for single dwellings in the countryside and we have a duty of care to protect species and the potential affects on the environment. This will also help to avoid seasonal delays on reports required involving species.
“We already have a robust system in place, but the check-list will look at environment, traffic, sewage and drainage as well as drawings of plans.”
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