Preamble

The Department of the Environment is responsible for planning control in Northern Ireland, including control of outdoor advertisements. The Planning Service, an Agency within the Department, administers its planning functions.

The Department has a statutory duty, laid down in Article 3 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991, to formulate and co-ordinate policy for securing the orderly and consistent development of land and the planning of that development. The Department is required to ensure that such policy is in general conformity with the Regional Development Strategy.

The Department’s planning policies are normally issued through Planning Policy Statements and PPS 1 ‘General Principles’ advises that:
“Planning Policy Statements set out the policies of the Department on particular aspects of land-use planning and apply to the whole of Northern Ireland. Their contents will be taken into account in preparing development plans and are also material to decisions on individual planning applications and appeals.”

This Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 17 ‘Control of Outdoor Advertisements’ sets out the Department’s planning policy and guidance for the display of outdoor advertisements. It complements the Government’s commitment to securing a competitive economy whilst affording appropriate protection to amenity and public safety including road safety.

The PPS applies solely to those advertisements which require the express consent of the Department, under the Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992 (see Paragraph 2.3).

The policy in this Statement should be read together with the following policies contained in PPS 6 ‘Planning, Archaeology and the Built Heritage’:

• Policy BH 9: The Control of Advertisements on a Listed Building;
• Policy BH 13: The Control of Advertisements in a Conservation Area; and
• Policy ATC 3: The Control of Advertisements in Areas of Townscape
  Character.

The policy and guidance in this Statement supersedes Policy DES 9 of the Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland. Where Policy DES 9 is referred to elsewhere in the Planning Strategy the policy and guidance in this Statement will take precedence.

This Statement also replaces the following Belfast Divisional Planning Office Development Guidance Notes:

• DGN 2: Control of Large Scale Advertisements;
• DGN 2A: Control of Large Scale Advertisements on Shankill Road Belfast;
• DGN 2B: Control of Large Scale Advertisements on Woodvale Road Belfast; and
• DGN 2C: Control of Large Scale Advertisements at Carlisle Circus Belfast.

This Policy Statement has been subject to an equality impact screening exercise, in line with the statutory obligation contained in Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. The outcome of this exercise indicates that the PPS is unlikely to have any significant adverse implications for equality of opportunity or community relations.

Nothing in this document should be read as a commitment that public resources will be provided for any specific project. All proposals for expenditure will be subject to economic appraisal, other relevant assessments and will also have to be considered having regard to the overall availability of resources.