Motion: Planning Issue

This Council notes that prior to the transfer of planning powers to local government assurances were made by The Executive regarding the co-operation to be given by agencies on the matter of consultations to applications.

It further notes that since these powers have been transferred some agency bodies, notably NIEA, are taking an inordinate amount of time to respond to consultation requests on planning applications. This is causing councils to fail to process such applications within the required time period.

This is a failure to support councils in their execution of this statutory power.  In response this Council calls upon The Executive Office and the relevant Ministers to provide those agencies with the necessary recurrent funding in order that they can deliver these statutory responses within an acceptable time period thereby allowing councils to process applications within the stipulated target timespan.