Mid Ulster District Council's Planning Team has been shortlisted as a finalist in the category for In House Planning Team of the Year at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2023.

The RTPI awards ceremony that takes place on 21 November 2023 in London will celebrate the contribution planners make to society.

Mid Ulster District Council's in house team were responsible for the design, development and implementation of its new planning porta which was launched in June 2022. The planning portal provided an end-to-end digital service for anyone submitting or responding to a planning application in Mid Ulster. When the portal was live it was one of its kind among the eleven Councils in Northern Ireland.

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In the last six years the Council has been named as a finalist four times and won its category once, demonstrating its exceptional track record with the prestigious awards.

Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Dominic Molloy, said: "The introduction of a standalone service was a milestone moment for the Council, as we moved to an entirely new digitally-led planning service. Feedback from our customers has shown that it has transformed how our residents use the service, bringing increased access, greater speed and for many agents, some significant cost reductions, while also ensuring that we as an organisation can work more efficiently and effectively, improving our service and, in particular, our processing times.

"With an ethos to put customer needs at the heart of the planning system, the in-house team delivered a streamlined and efficient digital online planning system. The smooth launch of Mid Ulster's Planning Portal was testament to their professionalism and hard work. To even be considered again as a finalist in these awards is a remarkable achievement for all concerned and I am hopeful that the past success achieved will be repeated in November, giving the team the recognition they deserve."