Judgement made on Draft PPS14
25th October 2007

The Department of the Environment assumes responsibility for rural planning policy.

Environment Minister Arlene Foster today made a Ministerial Statement in the Assembly, under the powers conferred by Article 3 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991, advising that the Department of the Environment has assumed responsibility for rural planning policy and will therefore take forward work on the ongoing review of draft Planning Policy Statement 14 (PPS 14).

The Ministerial Statement also advises that the Department has, as a short-term interim measure, reissued the policy provisions of Draft PPS 14 ‘Sustainable Development in the Countryside’, pending completion of the policy review process. Furthermore it indicates that these policy provisions should continue to take precedence over existing policies for the countryside and should be accorded substantial weight in the determination of any planning application received after 16 March 2006.

The Minister's Statement is available below. Copies can also be obtained from the DOE Planning and Environmental Policy Group by calling telephone number 028 9025 7374 or by email to epdwebteam@doeni.gov.uk.

• Minister's Statement on Draft PPS14 (200 KB)
• Draft PPS14: Sustainable Development in the Countryside (268 KB)
• News Release: Arlene Foster Stands Firm on Rural Planning
• Draft PPS 14: Questions and Answers