Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report, together with the associated Draft Belfast City Local Development Plan 2035, and Timetable, which was published on the Council’s website:

“1.0  Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1    Prior to the production of the Local Development Plan (LDP) for Belfast City, the Council are required to produce a Timetable for the work required.  This committee report seeks approval of the LDP Timetable as a public statement of the Council’s programme for the production of its first LDP, which must be submitted to and agreed with the Department of the Environment before being formally published.   The Timetable must be agreed and published before any work can formally commence on the production of the new LDP.

2.0    Recommendations

2.1    Approve the draft LDP Timetable and supporting document for submission to DOE and subsequent publication in accordance with the Planning Regulations.

3.0   Main report

         Key Issues

3.1    As the local planning authority, the Council has a statutory duty to prepare a Local Development Plan (LDP) for the City.  The LDP will set out a clear vision for how the Council area should look in the future by deciding what type and scale of development should be encouraged and where it should be located.  It will inform the general public, statutory authorities, developers and other interested bodies of the policy framework and land use proposals for Belfast and will guide development decisions within the Council’s area up to 2035.  

3.2    The LDP will consist of the following two development plan documents:

·   Plan Strategy –The strategic policy framework for the plan area as a whole across a range of topics, setting out an ambitious but realistic vision for Belfast as well as the objectives and strategic policies required to deliver that vision; and

·   Local Policies Plan – Local policies and site specific proposals in relation to the development and use of land in Belfast required to deliver the Plan Strategy’s vision.

3.3    Prior to work commencing on the production of these documents, the Council must produce a Timetable for the preparation of the LDP. It is a public statement of the Council’s programme for the production of its LDP and must be submitted to and agreed with the Department of the Environment before being published.  As well as informing the general public, it will also ensure that key stakeholders, such as the statutory consultation bodies and the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC), are kept informed and can manage their own resources to facilitate their involvement in the LDP process.

3.4    The Timetable outlines a series of key stages in the production of the LDP in accordance with the statutory requirements prescribed in the Planning Act (NI) 2011 and associated Planning (Local Development Plan) Regulations (NI) 2015.  In summary this includes:

·   Public consultation on a Preferred Options Paper outlining the key plan issues and the preferred options available to address them;

·   Public consultation of a draft Plan Strategy, followed by an opportunity to comment on representations received;

·   An independent examination to test the ‘soundness’ of the Plan Strategy prior to adoption;

·   Following the publication of the Plan Strategy, the publication of the draft Local Policies Plan for public consultation, followed by an opportunity to comment on representations received; and

·   An independent examination to test the ‘soundness’ of the Local Policies Plan prior to adoption.

3.5    The draft Timetable projects that the LDP will be completed and adopted in late 2020, with the formal consultation on the Preferred Options Paper from September to November this year.  The first policy components comprising the Plan Strategy will be adopted in early 2019 and the detailed Local Policies Plan by 2020.  This Timetable is based on a detailed draft Project Plan for the five year period and represents an ambitious, but realistic programme given the process and timescales required in legislation.  This committee are therefore asked to approve the attached draft LDP Timetable for submission to DOE and subsequent publication in accordance with the Planning Regulations

3.6    It should be noted that meeting these targets will be dependent on a number of key factors, some of which are beyond the direct control of the Council.  For example, progress may be dependent on the level of public interest and volume of responses received to consultation exercises, the capacity of statutory partners to be involved at key stages and the availability of the PAC (or other independent examiner) for the soundness based public inquiry.  The Timetable will therefore be kept under review and the mitigation measures associated with these identified risks implemented, as appropriate, to ensure the Council can meet the projected milestones.

         Financial & Resource Implications

3.7    The Local Development Plan team within the Belfast Planning Service will undertake majority of the work associated with the development of the LDP.  However, support and resources from other parts of the Council may also be required to produce the required documentation and supporting evidence.  The team resources will also be supplemented through the procurement of specialist advice and consultancy support where specific technical evidence, such as population growth projections or economic forecasting, is required. 

3.8    Delivery of the LDP within the timescales outlined will be dependent on the availability of the necessary resources over the five year timescale.  The costs associated with preparing the LDP will be provided for as part of the Council’s medium-term financial planning.

         Equality or Good Relations Implications

3.9    There are no equality and good relations implications arising from this report.  However, the LDP will be subject to Equality Screening at the Preferred Options stage and will, if required, be subject to a full Equality Impact Assessment in parallel with the policy development.”

            The Committee approved the draft Local Development Plan Timetable and supporting documents for submission to the Department of the Environment and subsequent publication in accordance with the Planning Regulations.