Northern Ireland’s planning system was branded “professionally corrupt” at a Stormont committee this week by a planning expert.
Dean Blackwood was among four people from across Northern Ireland speaking on behalf of environmental group The Gathering at the Public Accounts Committee on Thursday.
The town planner told MLAs he could fill the chamber with people “traumatised” by a dysfunctional planning system that birthed many of the community groups fighting “bad planning” and “injustice” today.
Read more: Ship carrying coal from Russia on way to Belfast Harbour
And said that both the European Commission and United Nations have also found “systemic failures” in NI’s planning system around the environment and public appeals.
“It’s a damning indictment not just in relation to our planning system but also a damning indictment into how our courts react to judicial reviews,” he added.
Speaking via videolink, Nuala Crilly, said The Gathering was founded in 2017.
She said subsequent work on planning “found distinct patterns were emerging in the lived experiences of local people even across different council areas”.
With that in mind, the group started researching the issue with a view to presenting their findings at Stormont.
Ms Crilly said FOIs to local councils found legal advice and judicial reviews against planning decisions are wracking up “substantial costs” while decisions are hurting families.
“There are local communities all over the north and beyond whose daily lives are impacted by bad planning and failing environmental regulation and some of those lives are being made a living hell,” she added.
Outlining The Gathering’s work, Dean Blackwood said planning “is a very important and emotive issue for many citizens and campaign groups”.
“Many of the community organisations only exist because of bad planning.
“We have two prominent campaigners here today who can testify as well as any to the impacts of what bad planning inflicts upon the public purse, our environment and more importantly the personal health and wellbeing of our citizens.”
Dean was joined by George McLaughlin, who said his biggest problems with planning are a lack of transparency and broken promises.
Anne Harper claimed planners and politicians both “turn a blind eye” even when something as serious as that has been ongoing for five years.
“It’s hard to accept that’s reasonable conduct,” she added.
“It’s in everyone’s interests that Northern Ireland has a fit for purpose regime because frankly we could have filled this chamber today with people traumatised by engaging with a dysfunctional planning system,” added Dean.
He praised the many dedicated planners in the system, saying many have shared fears about its “decline” privately “but worryingly also express their reluctance to raise concerns”.
“This makes it all the more important that citizens are taken seriously when speaking up about wrongdoing in planning.”
Mr Blackwood said three recurring issues emerged from The Gathering’s sub group on planning.
They were:
1. Administration and system failures
2. Professional incompetence and skills deficits
3. Professional corruption
“Professional corruption is less to do with bribery, corruption and brown envelopes and more about the unethical practices and conducts within public service,” he added.
“Indicators of professional corruption are wide ranging and include the deliberate withholding of information and unwillingness to clarify or explain an action, a persisting aversion to record keeping, unauthorised removal of documents from planning files or portals, a willingness to rationalise an obvious mistake rather than acknowledge and put things right, the use of false and misleading information or evidence and I could go on.
“As a planner who spent my entire career in public service in Northern Ireland I say with deep concern that these are all examples of professional corruption that I directly and regularly experience when raising concerns about planning at both central and local government level.
“Such actions must be seen as abuses of public trust unbefitting public servants.”
He said a wide body of evidence shows such corruption becomes learned, contagious, socialised and ultimately normalised in the culture of public institutions and that the Audit Office missed a major opportunity to address these issues in its planning report.
Mr Blackwood then called on the Public Accounts Committee to use its powers to probe serious public concerns around “professional corruption” in planning and suggested a planning watchdog be established.
“For an equitable planning system the public needs effective oversight... including equal rights of planning appeal,” he added.
Stormont has to do better.
We need a system that puts the needs of the community, nature, biodiversity and the environment ahead of venture capitalism.
It’s about time Stormont department started working together to close the many loopholes allowing community and environmental degradation on a corporate scale.
Bailey vs Poots, round 2
Sound the progress klaxon folks - we’re finally getting our very own climate crisis legislation in Northern Ireland!
It took a long time and while the Climate Bill has room for improvement, I’m delighted Stormont departments will finally have to consider the environmental damage and emissions arising from their decisions.
Green Party NI leader Clare Bailey and the Climate Coalition deserve everyone’s praise for getting us here.
Since Ms Bailey lit a fire under Environment Minister Edwin Poots’ backside with a cross-party coalition Bill on the issue - the South Belfast MLA has faced some very personal attacks from those opposed to law on the defining crisis of our time.
It’ll be interesting to see who comes out top when they go head-to-head in the rather forward-thinking constituency in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Mugs
I’m not one to support climate busting fuels on any level but given our government’s failure to properly invest in clean energy, we’ve been left with no other options.
Companies like Shell, whose pathetic apology after being publicly shamed for buying Russian oil, don’t give a hoot about us.
The disaster capitalism on show at both international levels and on the forecourts of garages up and down the country proves that.
They’re out to rinse us for every bean they can, while they can, as they know their days are numbered and those in power have done nothing to protect us from their greed.
Ditch the kitchen roll
In a bid to rid my life of all the things I don’t need, I stopped buying kitchen roll a while back and it hasn’t even bothered me.
My challenge to you this spring, is have a think about what you really need.
Tea cloths and tea towels do just as good a job at mopping up mess as throwaway kitchen roll, and you can wash them.
You save pounds and reduce waste - it’s a no-brainer.
Read more: The help available in NI if you're struggling with soaring household bills
Read more: New figures show spiralling cost of 500L of heating oil in NI
To get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
