DfI Planning Stats Show Mid Ulster Performance Improvement
Mid Ulster District Council is one of only two Councils here to improve its average processing times year on year for local development applications, according to the most recent planning performance figures released by the Department of Infrastructure (DfI) and NISRA, covering the first half of the financial year 2023/24 (1st April to 30th September 2023).
The statistics show that Mid Ulster receives the third highest number of applications across the eleven local Councils, even though its population is the sixth lowest.
Despite the challenges presented by lag effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council has reduced the number of live applications in the system by over 20% from 1,062 to 839 in the last year, one of five out of eleven councils with a reduction across the six months.
Over the period covered by the statistics, seven major applications were determined, representing over 10% of the NI total. 25% of major applications were processed within 30 weeks.
A total of 575 local planning applications were decided. The average processing time for local planning applications was 16.7 weeks, falling slightly short of the 15-week target set by the Department, but below the regional average of 19.2 weeks and 3.7 weeks less than in first quarter of 2022/23.
However, the average processing time for residential applications (which represent the majority of applications received) was 14.4 weeks, under the 15-week target, and 5.1 weeks less than the previous year.
The statistics also show the Council approved a total of 6 renewable energy projects, second only to one other Council, which represented 19% of all 31 NI applications in total.
Speaking on the performance of the planning service, Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor Séan McPeake said,
“These statistics demonstrate the continuing commitment of the planning service in Mid Ulster to progress and deliver for our people, following a difficult and challenging number of years. They also show the role of our streamlined and efficient digital online planning system in delivering substantial improvements to both major and local application processing times in comparison to the first half of 2022/23.”
“Despite dealing with one of the highest caseloads of all councils here, we continue to progress and approve a high number of applications that enable the growth of sustainable development, help address the housing crisis within Mid Ulster, protect our local economy and safeguard our environment for future generations.”
For more on Planning in Mid Ulster, see: www.midulstercouncil.org/planning