Planning

The Planning Service 

Some staff are working from home and in the office as a hybrid arrangement and continue to provide a full range of functions to ensure service delivery. Officer site visits and Planning Committee Member site visits continue for all cases.  External meetings are considered as required and we also engage fully with customers through virtual meetings, written communication and phone calls.  With the launch of the new regional Planning Portal system on 5^th December 2022, all planning applications should now be submitted online via the following link: https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/new-planning-portal#Submit%20a%20planning%20application.  This new paperless system makes the planning process more accessible for all customers to submit applications as well as search, track and comment on all applications received.  You will find further information about the new Planning Portal under the following DfI link: https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/new-planning-portal.

Many local planning applications received are delegated whereby decisions will be taken by appointed planning officers. Other planning applications, including major development, will be referred to the Council’s Planning Committee for determination at which stage all interested parties, including objectors and supporters, can participate in the process.   Further information regarding Planning Committee procedures is outlined below and you can contact our office if you wish to speak to a member of the Planning Department at any stage of the process by email to: planning@derrystrabane.com, in writing to the Planning Department, DCSDC, 98 Strand Road, Derry, BT48 7NN or by contacting our office at 📞028 71 253253. 

 

Planning Committee Meetings

Committee Meetings are held as hybrid meetings for Elected Members with Senior Officers in attendance and are held in Council Chambers at Derry Road, Strabane and at the Guildhall in Derry, alternating monthly.  The next Planning Committee Meeting will be held as a Special Planning Committee in Guildhall Chambers, Derry, on Monday 27^th March 2023 at 2pm and will reconvene on Tuesday 28^th March 2023 at 2pm if required.   Planning Committee Meetings are open to members of the public and arrangements are made to facilitate registered external speakers to join the meeting remotely via Webex or in person in the Council Chambers.  

If you wish to request Speaking Rights at any Planning Committee Meeting, please register your request in writing by 12 noon two working days prior to the meeting.  You can do so by email to: planning@derrystrabane.com, in writing to the Planning Department, DCSDC, 98 Strand Road, Derry, BT48 7NN or by contacting our office at 📞028 71 253253.  You will find full details regarding role and operation of Planning Committees in our ‘Protocol for the Operation of Planning Committee’  .  Committee Meetings are also livestreamed and proceedings can be viewed via the Council's YouTube Channel. 

The scheduled list of applications for discussion at forthcoming Planning Committees are published on this website at: https://www.derrystrabane.com/Services/Planning one week prior to each Committee Meeting.

 

The Planning Enforcement Service 

The Enforcement Service continues to progress and deal with complaints in line with Council's Enforcement Strategy.

 

Local Development Plan (LDP) 

The Local Development Plan Team formally Submitted the Derry City & Strabane District Local Development Plan (LDP 2032) – draft Plan Strategy and supporting documents to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) on 26th May 2022 as part of the Independent Examination (IE) process. All LDP Submission documents can be viewed here.  They are also available for inspection during normal office opening hours, by appointment only, at the Council's two main offices in Derry and Strabane.

Following the Submission of the LDP draft Plan Strategy in May, the Department considered it, to check it is procedurally ‘sound’, that there are no obvious gaps in the evidence base and it is not fundamentally flawed in relation to its regional context. The Council received a formal letter from DfI Planning on 20th September 2022, stating that the Submission had successfully passed its initial checks, so it would be writing to the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) to ‘cause an Independent Examination’.

The Council has since made the Submission documents available to the PAC, who have appointed a Programme Officer – who has undertaken their initial assessment of the LDP dPS and other Submission documents. The PAC wrote to the Council on 23^rd December 2022 to advise that it had completed its initial document assessment so it was appointing a Senior Commissioner to undertake the Independent Examination (IE) of our LDP dPS. This will be the next step towards adoption of the LDP Plan Strategy. The Council is currently waiting to hear from the PAC with any initial queries and to set an IE date, but at this stage we anticipate that the Independent Examination is likely to take place in late spring / early summer 2023.

 

New Regional Planning IT System

The new regional Planning IT System was launched on Monday 5^th December 2022 and is operational across 10 Councils.  This has replaced the previous NI Planning Portal and provides a modern streamlined service and is more accessible for customers to engage with the planning process, offering online ability to submit planning applications, review and track ongoing applications, make comments and report breaches of planning control.  Since the launch of the new system, 63% of all planning applications we have received were submitted online and we are keen to encourage and support customers to increase this further.  You will be able to find full information in the following DfI link: New Planning Portal | Department for Infrastructure (infrastructure-ni.gov.uk)

We are aware that there have been a number of initial challenges and problems identified by users of the new system and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.  However these are being currently addressed and efforts to resolve any outstanding issues are ongoing.  Please find below some useful advice and update on some of the main issues identified:

Problems updating an online application once submitted – there are plans for a system fix to enable amendments to be made to online planning applications after they have been submitted (e.g. amended drawings).  However, this will be a wider update across the UK and will take place later in 2023.  In the meantime, customers can submit amended plans/drawings and further details to our office by post (DCSDC, 98 Strand Road, Derry, BT48 7NN) or by email (planning@derrystrabane.com).  On receipt these will be uploaded and made available on our system by our officers.

Mapping function – the new system offers improved mapping features and some issues raised about searching and plotting should reduce with greater awareness of these various new functions, e.g. searching by partial address, postcode, easting and westing co-ordinates and search radius.  Customers may also find the following demonstrations provide helpful advice: Demo video  - Start a new application online(external link opens in a new window / tab) and Public Register - application search(external link opens in a new window / tab)

Dates for representations – during data transfer to the new system, the date of all representations prior to 5^th December 2022 defaulted to 26^th November 2022.  Whilst this issue has now been resolved, further investigation is ongoing to address all other types of documents transferred on 26^th November 2022.

Missing files / data – some initial reports of missing information were received but it has been confirmed that all data has migrated to the new system.  A software update will also address the issue of accessing documents for Outline Planning Applications and requests from customers to view information they cannot find on the system, can be directed to our Planning Office at 02871 253253.

View / Download functions – some customers were unable to view representations made about planning applications, but this has also now been addressed by a software update.

Payment functionality – customers who submit online applications will make immediate payment by debit/credit card or bank transfer at the time of submitting an application. Cheques and cash payments will also remain available for any customers who submit paper application forms.

Further frequently asked questions are also available at: https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/planning-portal-faqs and there are a number of links to assist customers in the various functions of the new system below: 

• Planning Portal User Guide - registration and create an application
• Planning Portal User Guide - Public Register
• Submit a planning application

• Search, track or comment on an application
• Make an enforcement complaint
• Request a Regional Property Certificate
• Respond to consultations

We hope you will find the new Portal System makes your engagement with our planning processes much more efficient and if you have any further queries or continue to experience any difficulties with the new Planning Portal, you can contact our Planning Department at:  planning@derrystrabane.com or by telephoning our office at 02871 253253.

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​Planning Portal Document