AQW 24705/22-27

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 20/03/2025
Answered On Date: 31/03/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail (i) whether her Department has assessed the impact of delays in the planning process on social housing delivery; and (ii) any actions her Department is taking to address such delays.

Answer:

I am acutely aware of the challenges facing the supply of social housing in the North and acknowledge the important role of the planning system in helping to meet current and future housing needs.

To this end my Department has been working closely with local government, who are responsible for over 99% of all local and major planning applications as well as bringing forward local development plans, and other stakeholders to improve the planning system through the Planning Improvement Programme.

The programme has already delivered positive changes including legislation to enable council planning authorities to introduce statutory validation checklists to improve the quality of planning applications entering the system, and in turn reduce the potential for delay through the application process. My Department is also conducting a review of the Planning (Development Management) Regulations (NI) 2015 to enable the planning application process to be further streamlined. Ongoing work with statutory consultees has already resulted in performance improvements and this engagement will continue.

My officials are also currently engaging with individual council planning authorities and other key stakeholders in the planning system with a specific focus on identifying challenges in current development management (planning application process) practice and procedures and the local development plan process, as well as individual performance related matters, to inform further opportunities for efficiencies and improvements to the system.

I am committed to ensuring that the planning system in the North operates in an efficient and effective way and delivers for all stakeholders including those needing social housing.