Effective and efficient planning will help support the delivery
of commitments in the new Programme for Government.
That was the message from Infrastructure Minister as she hosted a round table
event in Belfast entitled ‘Plan to Improve: Pathway to Progress'.
The roundtable event brought together a variety of organisations
from across business, education, public sector, environment,
Councils, and legal professions to encourage open and
collaborative dialogue on the planning system.
Delivering the keynote speech, Minister Kimmins encouraged
increased collaboration across sectors as she set out her plans
for the next phase of the Planning Improvement Programme.
She said: “Plan to Improve is one of seven Foundations
for a Better future, which are underpinning the work my
Department is doing today, to build a better tomorrow and
support objectives in the new Programme for
Government.
Planning is a key facilitator for the delivery of housing
and infrastructure. The planning profession plays a hugely
important role in delivering a wide range of important outcomes
for our society, including economic development, addressing the
climate and biodiversity emergencies, and supporting the growth
of communities across the North.
“It is now 10 years since the transfer of the majority of
planning functions to local councils and in recent years my
Department has worked closely with local government and others to
develop and implement a Planning Improvement Programme.
This programme has already delivered a number of key pieces
of work and initiatives and we are already seeing some
encouraging results, such as marked improvement in the
performance of our planning statutory consultees with around 80%
of consultations being responded to within the statutory
timeframe.
“But this is just the beginning of a necessary continuous
improvement culture and moving forward the planning improvement
agenda must adopt a more focused and prioritised approach to
focus on key areas of action with the most potential to
positively impact on system performance and delivery, as well as
the long-term viability of that system.
“This next phase of the Planning Improvement Programme
will therefore involve working with professional and educational
institutions to consider graduate and apprenticeship programmes
and identifying and delivering skills gaps, training needs and
other strategic workforce challenges. It will also consider the
longer-term financial sustainability of the system and the
opportunities for putting the planning service on a more
resilient cost recovery footing.”
Minister Kimmins concluded: “I recognise there will be
significant challenges ahead such as resourcing in a tight public
expenditure context; dealing with increased complexity as new
areas and issues emerge; the impacts of climate change and, of
course, the ever-present risks of legal challenge to
decision-making. However, the importance of working collectively
to make improvements cannot be underestimated and by sharing
insight and expertise, both within the planning profession and
across various sectors, we can all shape the path forward to
deliver the best planning service possible for the
North.”
