A new Streamlined Consultation Scheme between Planning Service and Derry City Council has been formally launched.

The scheme, which will benefit all stakeholders in the planning process, will allow decisions on non-contentious planning applications for the Derry City Council area to be issued without formally bringing them to the Planning Committee. Instead, a decision will issue under the authority of the Divisional Planning Manager, following the more streamlined consultation process for this category of planning application.

Minister Arlene Foster said: "I welcome the introduction of this Scheme today. Derry City Council has worked very closely with the local Divisional Planning Office to establish the Scheme, the first of this type to be introduced in Northern Ireland. The new arrangements will allow Councillors more time to focus on matters of wider public interest and greater planning significance and will encourage debate and transparency in determining major planning applications without compromising the quality of the decision or development on the ground.

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"The Scheme will have an immediate impact and will accelerate the processing of all planning applications in the Derry City Council area by allowing a decision to be reached and issued quickly on non- contentious planning applications particularly those applications relating to small and medium sized business enterprises."

Speaking at the launch Alderman Drew Thompson, Mayor of Derry City Council said: "This scheme will greatly enhance the quality of service delivery to planning applicants, particularly for those non-contentious applications.

"While Council will still be consulted on all planning applications and have the authority to discuss any planning application at the Planning Committee meetings, the Council will now have more time to concentrate its efforts on controversial and complex planning applications. The Council welcomes the opportunity to help deliver a more efficient planning system and is confident that if successful, it will be extended and initiated by other Councils."

The Scheme will commence on December 3 2007.

Derry City Council receives on average over 1,000 planning applications per year and about 50% of these applications would fall within the Scheme proposals.



(GK)