INTRODUCTION

PLAN AREA

The Plan relates to the administrative area of Cookstown District Council, an area of approximately 378 sq. km with an estimated population of 32,581 (2001 Census). The main settlement is Cookstown with an estimated population of 10,566 (2001 Census). Some 3,117 people live within the larger villages of Coagh, Moneymore, Pomeroy and Stewartstown. The District is essentially rural in character with approximately 60% of people living in smaller villages or the countryside.

PURPOSE OF THE PLAN

The purpose of the Plan is to inform the general public, statutory authorities, developers and other interested bodies of the policy framework and land use proposals that will be used to guide development decisions within Cookstown District.

PLAN POLICIES and PROPOSALS

The policies and proposals contained in the Plan constitute considerations that the Department will take into account in determining planning applications within the District. The contents of the Plan must be read as a whole as often several policies may be relevant to a particular development proposal.

The policies and proposals contained in the Plan should not, however, be read as the only tests of acceptability for development proposals. In making its decisions, the Department will also assess proposals against all planning policies and other material considerations that are relevant to it. The contents of the Plan must therefore be read in conjunction with the relevant contents of the Department’s regional policy publications and supplementary planning guidance documents. These are addressed in the Regional Planning Context section below.

In order to ensure that there is no public misunderstanding of these Plan policies and proposals, it must be recognised that there may be occasions when other material considerations outweigh one or more of these. Each case must be considered on its merits to assess whether an exception would be justified but the provisions of the Plan policies and proposals will prevail unless there are other overriding policy or material considerations which outweigh them and justify a contrary decision.

REGIONAL POLICY CONTEXT

The regional planning context for the Cookstown Area Plan 2010 is provided by The Regional Development Strategy for Northern Ireland 2025 Shaping Our Future (RDS), A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland (the Rural Strategy), all prevailing Planning Policy Statements (PPSs) as prepared by both the Department for Regional Development (DRD) and the Department of the Environment (DOE), and the Regional Transportation Strategy (RTS). The Department also prepares non-statutory supplementary planning guidance that applies throughout Northern Ireland.

Regional Development Strategy

The Regional Development Strategy for Northern Ireland 2025 Shaping Our Future (RDS), which was formulated by the Assembly in September 2001, sets out a dynamic strategic spatial planning framework for Northern Ireland to guide physical development within the Region until 2025 and it provides an overarching strategic framework for development plans.

At the heart of the RDS is the principle of ensuring a better quality of life for everyone now and for generations to come by seeking to meet the objectives of sustainable development.

The RDS contains a Spatial Development Strategy which aims to provide a strategic focus which will guide future development in order to provide a balanced and equitable pattern of sustainable development across the Region. In the context of the RDS, Cookstown District lies within Rural Northern Ireland.

The overall aim of the RDS for Rural Northern Ireland is to develop an attractive and prosperous rural area, based on a balanced and integrated approach to the development of town, village and countryside contributing to the overall wellbeing of the Region as a whole. This is to be achieved by action on a series of Strategic Objectives and Supporting Strategic Planning Guidelines.

Regional Transportation Strategy

July 2002 and is a ‘daughter document’ of the RDS. Its purpose is to make a significant contribution towards achieving the longer-term vision for transportation contained within the RDS.

The purpose of the RTS is also to improve access to regional, national and international markets, thereby, contributing to sustainable patterns of development and movement, and to promote integration between different modes of travel.

The RTS identifies strategic transportation investment priorities and considers potential funding sources and the affordability of planned initiatives over the next 10 years.

A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland

A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland (the Rural Strategy), published in September 1993, contains a number of strategic policies, but essentially comprises a compendium of planning policies setting out, on a topic basis, the factors that the Department takes into account when assessing development proposals. The Rural Strategy applies to all of Cookstown District.

The Department has begun progressively to replace the Rural Strategy. The strategic section of the document is superseded by the RDS, whilst the topic sections are progressively being replaced by PPSs. Policies within the Rural Strategy remain material considerations until superseded.

Planning Policy Statements

Planning Policy Statements (PPSs) set out the policies of the Department on particular aspects of land use planning that apply to the whole of Northern Ireland. They provide a broad regional policy context for the site specific policies and proposals contained in development plans and directly influence decisions on individual planning applications. Details of PPSs are contained in Appendix 1.

Regional Supplementary Planning Guidance

The Department’s publication, A Design Guide for Rural Northern Ireland, issued in May 1994, provides guidance for all those who are thinking of building in the countryside of Northern Ireland. Its purpose is to improve the quality of design and to help ensure that new buildings fit into the landscape.

The Department’s publication, Creating Places, issued in May 2000, provides guidance on the design, character and layout of new housing areas in Northern Ireland. The guide describes the contributions to quality and sustainability that developers will be expected to make through the design of new residential developments.

The Department also publishes and updates as necessary a set of Development Control Advice Notes, which explain the planning criteria, and technical standards, which the Department considers when dealing with specific categories or particular aspects of development in Northern Ireland. These are listed in Appendix 2. Good practice guides may also be issued to illustrate how concepts contained in PPSs can be best implemented.

It should be noted that the Department is continuously reviewing its regional planning policies and advice. It is, therefore, advisable to contact the Divisional Planning Office to ascertain the current relevant policies and supplementary guidance that apply within Cookstown District.

PLAN AIM

To provide a planning framework which facilitates the future growth and development of Cookstown District whilst protecting and, where appropriate, enhancing the natural and man made environment and ensuring that development is both sustainable and of a high quality.

PLAN OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of the Plan are:

• the maintenance and enhancement of Cookstown District and its distinctive environs as an attractive and pleasant place to live, work and visit;

• the integration of land use and transportation to reduce congestion and the need for car journeys and encourage a shift to more sustainable modes of transport, including walking and cycling;

• the promotion of development within existing urban areas which benefit from ease of access to an appropriate range of services and community facilities and maximise use of existing infrastructure;

• the maintenance of compact urban forms that respect the individual character and identity of settlements, avoid urban sprawl and unnecessary ribboning and reduce the need for expansion into the countryside;

• the provision of development opportunities to meet housing and employment needs within a quality and sustainable living and working environment;

• the protection and enhancement of landscape features, natural habitats, and man made features which are of conservation importance and contribute to the overall character of individual settlements and the wider countryside;

• the consolidation of the network of open space, cycleways and walkways;

• the promotion of opportunities for sustainable leisure and tourism development; and

• the fostering of sustainable rural regeneration in appropriate locations.

PLAN STRATEGY