Time running out to have your say on LDP draft Plan

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, Councillor Michaela Boyle, pictured launching the Draft Local Development Plan 2032 at the Guildhall in December. Included are Proinsias McCaughey, Principal Planning Officer, John Kelpie, Chief Executive, Derry City & Strabane District Council, Maura Fox, Councils Head of Planning, Cllr Christopher Jackson, Chair of the Planning Committee and Karen Phillips, Director of Environment and Regeneration (Photo - Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)

The draft Plan Strategy for the Local Development Plan was launched on December 2, marking the next stage in the process of developing an overarching policy document for all issues concerning local Planning and development.

The Plan is huge in its scope, guiding land use and setting out the policies and proposals for the use, development and protection of our settlements and countryside. It has the capacity to help Council achieve some of its key priorities including mitigating against Climate change, celebrating and conserving our rich built heritage, and meeting social housing demand.

The LDP is closely aligned to the Strategic Growth Plan (Community Plan) and its aim to deliver 9,000 new, quality homes by 2032 at sustainable locations with all the necessary infrastructure, services and facilities.

The new framework will contribute directly to the outcomes of the Growth Plan and once adopted will be used to determine all planning applications across Derry and Strabane. The (LDP) Plan Strategy sets out the proposed LDP vision, the LDP objectives, as well as the proposed Growth Strategy and the Hierarchy of Settlements for the District.

The public consultation on the draft Plan Strategy offers the opportunity for the public to consider the robustness of the Strategy proposals before it is submitted to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) for independent examination to test the soundness of the Strategy.

Speaking after the launch of the consultation, Head of Planning with Derry City and Strabane District Council, Maura Fox, said: “The overall aim of the LDP is to create better communities, maximise opportunities for housing and settlements, employment land, strong city/town centres and to conserve and enhance our environment. But we want to do this responsibly by establishing best practice in terms of how we deliver the infrastructure, housing, retail provision, and conservation projects needed to improve Derry and Strabane.

“The Council considers this LDP Plan Strategy to be ‘sound’. I would invite anyone with an interest in Planning issues to view the draft Strategy documents and submit any objections, or indeed support, before the deadline date.”

The LDP Draft Plan Strategy has been informed by the Council’s LDP Preferred Options Paper which offered a series of options for dealing with key issues in the Plan area and was previously the subject of widespread public and stakeholder consultation.

Following the results of the current consultation, the comments will be considered by the Council and then DfI will appoint an Independent Examiner to test the ‘soundness’ of the draft Plan Strategy.

Representations on the consultation document can be submitted up until Monday January 27, 2020. The full Plan Strategy document is available at www.derrystrabane.com/ldp Hard copies are also available at the Council offices in Derry or Strabane, as well as at libraries, leisure centres, etc. across the District.