Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Planning Committee has warmly welcomed the formal Direction received from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to proceed with the adoption of the Council’s new Local Development Plan (LDP) Plan Strategy (PS).
Communication was received from the Department on December 17th, after the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC), and then DfI Regional Planning, found the LDP draft PS to be ‘Sound’, subject to a number of modifications.
The LDP is an important document, setting out Council’s Planning strategy in relation to the development and use of land across the City and District, with the whole range of strategic Planning policies to guide our developments up to 2032 and beyond.
The Adoption of the LDP Plan Strategy is now anticipated in April – May 2025, following the completion of a number of pre-adoption tasks, including the preparation of a series of Supplementary Planning Guidance documents.
Capacity building has already commenced in order to assist the immediate implementation of the LDP Plan Strategy.
This will require a programme of familiarisation/training sessions for key consultees and Members, as well as for Planning agents.
Principal Planning Officer with the Council, Proinsias McCaughey, told members at yesterday’s monthly meeting of the Planning Committee, that the Direction from DfI was another key milestone in the process of delivering the Council’s own LDP to manage the development of our City and District in a positive and sustainable way.
The Committee was advised that the policies in the LDP Plan Strategy will commence to be applied, to a given weight, now that the Direction has been received, considered and published.
This will be delivered in accordance with legislation, strategic Planning policy and case law.
Full implementation of the LDP PS will apply immediately upon its Adoption and the existing Planning Policy Statements and strategic policy elements of the existing Area Plans will no longer be material, even for planning applications that are already in the system (SPPS para 1.11: Transitional Arrangements).
Welcoming the report, Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor Fergal Leonard, commended the work that had gone into the Plan to date.
“This has been a lengthy and thorough process and I want to acknowledge the work and expertise that has gone into developing this framework which will shape the future development of our Council area until 2032 and beyond,” he said.
“Well done to all our Planning officers and all the Councillors who have shaped our new LDP, and also a big thank you to the public and the other stakeholders who have contributed throughout the various stages of the consultation process.”
Council’s Planning team will now work to progress the required actions to move towards the formal Adoption of the LDP Plan Strategy as soon as is reasonably practicable.
More information can be found on Council’s LDP webpage, including a summary explanation and the LDP PS & Direction documents at: https://www.derrystrabane.com/subsites/ldp
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