AQW 30978/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 15/03/2022
Answered On Date: 23/03/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure (i) for a breakdown of how planning application fees paid to her Department for major planning applications are (a) distributed within her Department; and (b) directly attributed to the processing of the application they are submitted for; (ii) what portion of planning application fees paid to her Department for major planning applications are distributed to each statutory consultee and how this is calculated; and (iii) for a breakdown of how planning application fees paid to local planning authorities for major planning applications are distributed within the authority’s planning department.

Answer:

Any monies received from fees paid for planning applications are attributed to my Strategic Planning Directorate budget, who are responsible for processing planning applications received by my Department.

Fees from planning applications are not distributed to each statutory consultee involved in the processing of an application.

With the creation of the two tier planning system the majority of planning functions transferred to local planning authorities on the 01st April 2015. As a result my Department does not hold information for or report on how each local planning authority draws down and apportions the fees they received for any planning applications. Therefore each Council is best placed to provide the information you seek regarding major planning applications it receives.