Planning: Delays

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Infrastructure – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:30 pm on 11 June 2024.

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Photo of John O'Dowd John O'Dowd Sinn Féin 2:30, 11 June 2024

All of them. As the Member will be aware, planning is two-tier. Councils look after the vast majority of planning applications, and there is significant variation in councils' return rate and standards. Some councils perform well in returning an application well within the set period; others do not. My Department faces challenges in that regard too. As I have said, one way of improving my Department's timescales for the return of planning applications in one simple stroke would be this: every time we receive a planning application that is not complete, we hand it back. My performance rates would go through the roof overnight. We spend too much time going back and forth, saying, "We need this", "You did not complete that", and, "Could you please clarify that?". In this day and age, that should not happen. To those who submit planning applications, I say this: get it right in the first instance, and then challenge the council, the statutory consultee or my Department if we do not get it right.