Wrangle over housing plan

An application to build 52 homes at 20 Dungannon Road, Cookstown by McKernan Construction Ltd was deferred at July’s planning committee meeting.

The application had been recommended for approval by Council’s planning department ahead of the July meeting but the application was deferred until August to give an objector time to appear before the committee.

However, during August’s planning committee meeting, Council’s Head of Planning, Dr Chris Boomer, revealed new information had come to light concerning the application.

“It has transpired that legally, Council can’t make a determination on the application,” Dr Boomer told the committee.

“The reason for that is the applicant is required to do what is called a pre-application community consultation.

“As part of that process, the regulations prescribe exactly certain things which need to be in the advertisement which is done by the applicant 12 weeks before making an application.

“The law then tells us explicitly that we cannot determine the application.”

Dr Boomer then explained how the planning department has chosen to proceed with this application.

“The way we have decided to deal with this is to basically put the application to one side and do no further work on it,” said Dr Boomer.

“I have written to the applicant setting out where the legal failure is and invited them, giving them a new opportunity, to start again with their pre-application notice advertisement and then to prepare a report on the community consultation.

“Once that is done, in a period of no less than 12 weeks, once they submit that along with a declaration of land ownership and any other documentation that they decide to submit, we will then consider the application afresh.”

In other planning news, green light for new health hub. See full story here

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