Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon published the first review of the implementation of the Planning Act (NI) 2011 on Thursday 27 January.
Commenting on the publication, Head of RenewableNI, Steven Agnew, said:
“RenewableNI remains frustrated by the delays in the Northern Ireland planning system that are putting at risk future investment in renewables.
“While we welcome the publication of the Review of the Planning Act and many positive recommendations, what we need is a commitment to properly resource our planning system.
“NI is lagging behind other regions in terms of planning processing times with wind farms spending more than twice as long in planning here than in Great Britain. This is a considerable disincentive to investors who are operating across these islands and globally.
“Furthermore, the Department for Infrastructure needs to get a grip of planning policy with local councils acting in complete opposition to strategic policy.”
You can read the Review of the Implementation of the Planning Act (NI) 2011 report at https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/infrastructure/review-planning-act-report-jan2022.pdf
You can read RenewableNI’s response to the publication of the new Northern Ireland Energy Strategy and the 2022 Action Plan.
