Comment

Local Development Plans in Northern Ireland: Progress update Q3 2023

This has been the year of the Local Development Plan with the adoption of a Plan Strategy across a number of councils in Northern Ireland. As we head towards the end of the year, we reflect on the progress made by councils in Q3 in preparation of their respective LDPs and consider the current position of each authority.

Overview of current positions

Lisburn City & Castlereagh Council (LCCC) adopted their LDP on 26 September 2023, whilst Mid & East Antrim (MEA) adopted their plan on 16 October 2023. They join Belfast City Council (BCC) and Fermanagh & Omagh District Council (FODC) who adopted their plans in Q2 2023. This represents significant progress made in recent years with four out of eleven councils now able to progress to their Local Policies Plan (LPP). In preparing the LPP, councils will look in detail at land zonings and will be establishing key site requirements for the delivery of development.

Antrim & Newtownabbey (ANBC) are progressing towards the adoption of their plan after a long delay in the issuing of the commissioner’s report to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI). The commissioner’s report was issued to DfI for review in October 2023. ANBC are projecting adoption of their plan strategy by the end of 2023. We would expect that this is more likely to be late Q4 of 2023/24. 

Derry City & Strabane District Council (DCSDC) completed their Independent Examination (IE) sessions and now wait for the commissioner to write their report and issue to DfI. We anticipate this report will be with DfI Q2/Q3 of 2024/25.

This update summarises the main activities undertaken from the start of the year and outlines the activities we expect to see throughout the remainder of 2023.

Adopted Plans 

Fermanagh and Omagh (FODC)

FODC is still in the early stages of preparing the LPP, which is the next stage in the LDP process. 

Belfast City Council (BCC) 

BCC is currently working on their LPP. A revised LDP timetable has been published, indicating presentation of the LPP to council occurring at the end of 2024. 

Lisburn and Castlereagh (LCCC) 

Following the previous update, LCCC have since adopted their LDP. All development proposals within the council area will be assessed against the policies within the plan. LCCC are now focussing on progressing the LPP. 

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council (MEABC)

Following on from LCCC, MEA adopted their LDP on 16 October 2023. As of this date, all development proposals within the council area will be assessed against the policies within the plan.

The existing suite of regional Planning Policy Statements no longer apply to development proposals within the council areas listed above. Moving forward, developers should look to the plan strategy to inform new proposals. 

For each of the councils above, the next step is the preparation of the LPP. This stage of the LDP process is more site-specific and will include the zoning of land for a range of uses and the identification of key site requirements. It will be important for the development sector to engage in consultation on this part of the LDP as it will impact on individual sites and land.

Call for Sites  

To assist in the preparation of the LPP, councils may undertake a ‘Call for Sites’ exercise. This call enables relevant interested parties to suggest land for development that they wish to promote as part of the LPP process. We understand that of the councils that have adopted their plan strategy, two councils will be undertaking a ‘Call for Sites’ which is anticipated to occur in late 2023/early 2024.  

Independent Examinations (IE)

DCSDC completed their IE sessions on 4 October 2023. The commissioner will now provide DfI with a report into the soundness of the plan. DfI then considers the report and will either direct the council that the plan can be adopted, needs further revisions, or needs to be redrafted. 

Draft plan strategy 

Draft plan strategies awaiting referral to the PAC

Following consultation on the draft plan strategy (dPS), councils submit the Plan to DfI who will then determine if it can be issued to the PAC to commence the Independent Examination (IE) process. As part of the IE process, the PAC hold dedicated sessions to discuss specific topics based on their review of points raised in written submissions to the draft plan strategy. Typically, there are four sessions per plan, with each lasting for around two weeks.  

Mid Ulster District Council (MUDC) submitted their dPS in May 2021 and are awaiting a decision to cause an IE to come from DFI. 

Draft plan strategies to be published

After more than eight years of the two-tier planning system, four councils are yet to publish a plan strategy for future development within their area. The table below summarises the status of those council areas and our estimates for publication of a plan strategy. It is our view that it could be over nine years before these councils seek to publish a critical document for a plan-led system.

Table 1: Draft plan strategies awaiting publication

Other than the likely adoption of the ANBC Plan Strategy in 2024, there is unlikely to be much activity from those councils who are yet to advance their plans. We should see a series of LPP published towards the end of 2024 for public consultation. Unfortunately, full plan coverage in any council area in NI remains a long way off.

Should you have any queries about or interests in any of the above-mentioned council areas, or any of the plans in Northern Ireland, please get in touch with Angela Wiggam, Philip Stinson or Conor Campbell. 

7 December 2023