Comment

Local Development Plan update: Belfast City Council

The Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) Report into the Independent Examination of Belfast City Council’s draft Plan Strategy has now been published.

Click here to download the report.

The PAC has recommended to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) that the plan is sound, and should be adopted subject to the inclusion of several modifications.

So, what does this mean? In short, the PAC has concluded that the plan has met the tests of soundness and there is sufficient evidence to support the growth ambition set out by Belfast City Council (BCC) of delivering 31,600 new homes, supporting 46,000 additional jobs, and attracting an additional 66,000 residents to the council area over the duration of the plan period. 

Draft Plan Strategy – Consultation on modifications

While the PAC is recommending the adoption of the draft Plan Strategy, this is subject to the three modifications identified by them regarding the need for a strategic policy on phasing (paragraphs 3.42 and 3.43 of the IE report) being incorporated into the Plan Strategy.

The PAC recommended that a new policy (Policy SPA 1 managing growth and supporting infrastructure delivery) should be introduced to provide a strategic framework for the alignment of the growth strategy with infrastructure provision, including water and sewerage infrastructure. It is intended that the new policy will support the managed release of sites in a manner that takes account of the Regional Development Strategy (RDS), local circumstances and other relevant planning considerations.

In tandem with the introduction of Policy SPA 1, two tables previously included within the draft Plan Strategy have been revised to reflect the housing requirement over the plan period, in line with infrastructure capacity.

The consultation on the Modifications together with the associated Addendum to the Sustainability Appraisal runs until 7 July 2022.

Supplementary Planning Guide (SPG) – Consultation

To support the delivery of operational policies, BCC has prepared a suite of non-statutory planning guidance which are intended to be read in conjunction with the new Plan Strategy and the Strategic Planning Policy Statement. 

17 SPGs have been prepared. The topics covered are:

• Advertising and signage
• Affordable housing and housing mix
• Development viability
• Evening and night-time economy
• Loss of zoned employment land
• Masterplanning approach for major development
• Placemaking and urban design
• Planning and flood risk
• Residential design
• Residential extensions and alterations
• Retail and main town centre uses
• Sensitive uses
• Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)
• Tall buildings
• Transportation
• Trees and development
• Waste infrastructure

The consultation period on the SPGs runs until 4 August 2022.

Next steps

We are currently reviewing the suite of consultation documents issued by BCC and will reach out to clients and advise on the implications of the proposed modifications, the scope and extent of the guidance within the suite of SPGs and outline the feedback will propose to provide on the respective consultation exercises.

If you have any questions in the intervening time, please get in touch with Angela Wiggam, Emma Kelly or Sheila Murphy.

1 June 2022