Northern Ireland’s infrastructure minister Chris Hazzard has announced a review of planning policies on renewable energy and countryside development, expected to be completed in 2018.
Speaking as he announced the review, Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard said:
“As Minister with responsibility for planning I want to continue to improve our planning system and to make sure that it is effective and efficient and that it operates in the wider public interest. The Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) is a key component of the planning system and it is vital to ensure that current policy is sufficiently robust and appropriate for communities across the North.”
The current Strategic Planning Policy Statement was published in final form on 28 September 2015. Hazzard said responses to the calls for evidence on strategic planning policy contained in the current SPPS for Development in the Countryside and Renewable Energy had “endorsed the need for review”.
He commented: “I am committed to ensuring that the SPPS delivers for local communities and the North as a whole and that the planning system addresses the present as well as the long term future needs of our society. There will be opportunities for stakeholder engagement and public consultation next year and I would encourage people to give their views. Any future changes to the policy would be subject to public consultation.”
Further details and progress updates on the review will be available from http://www.planningni.gov.uk/index/policy.htm.
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