Council to assume full planning powers

The Planning Bill, which provides for the transfer of planning powers to councils, was passed by the Assembly before it dissolved.

Environment Minister Edwin Poots said: “This Bill sets the framework for the future of planning. It provides for the transfer of the majority of planning functions from the Department of the Environment to local government.

“This transfer will happen after new governance arrangements for councils and a new ethical standards regime for councillors have been put in place and at a time to be decided by the next Assembly.

“The Bill means that in the future the bulk of planning decisions will be made by locally elected representatives who are best placed to understand their own community’s needs. “Councils will also be responsible for preparing new local development plans which will set out the vision for how their area should develop.”