The number of planning applications across Northern Ireland is continuing to fall as the construction sector maintains its recessionary decline.

The Annual Development Management Statistical Bulletin for NI, containing statistics on planning applications received and processed for the period April 2010 to March 2011, is now available.

The statistical bulletin contains statistics on a variety of performance indicators for planning related to the processing of planning applications and issuing decisions on planning applications.

Among the key points is news that 16,768 planning applications were received - represents a decrease of 14.3% compared with the previous year.

The Local Government District (LGD) with the greatest decrease in the number of applications received when compared with 2009/10 was Fermanagh, which fell by 360 applications from 1,249 to 889, a decrease of 28.8%.

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Planners issued decisions on 16,191 applications in 2010/11, a fifth (19.9%) fewer than last year (20,223).

The number of decisions issued for outline planning applications decreased slightly by 40 from 1,903 to 1,863 when compared with 2009/10, representing a 2.1% decrease.

The number of decisions issued for full planning applications decreased by 2,704 when compared with the previous year, falling from 15,192 to 12,488, a decrease of 17.8%.

The number of decisions issued for applications for approval of reserved matters fell by 1,089 when compared with the previous year, falling from 1,791 to 704, a decrease of three fifths (60.7%).

Overall, 89.3% of all applications decided in 2010/11 were approved. Approval rates varied across Local Government Districts, from 80.3% in Banbridge LGD, to 94.8% in Moyle LGD.

As regards applications received for residential development, Planning received 4,999 planning applications for residential development in urban areas in 2010/11 compared with 5,832 in 2009/10, a decrease of 14.3%.

They received 6,392 planning applications for residential development in rural areas in 2010/11 compared with 8,719 in 2009/10, a decrease of 26.7%.

Meanwhile, the number of decisions issued for residential development in urban areas fell by 28.9%, from 6,960 to 4,948, when compared with 2009/10. The number of decisions issued for residential development in rural areas also reduced between the two time periods, with 15.9% (1,289) fewer decisions issued in 2010/11.

(BMcC/KMcA)