The Magherafelt Area Plan 2015 is a development plan being prepared under the provisions of Part III of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 by the Planning Service, an Agency within the Department of the Environment.

Notice was given to Magherafelt District Council on 21st January 2000 that the Department intended to prepare a new development plan for the District for the period 2000 to 2015. A Notice of Intention to prepare the Plan was published in the local and regional press and the Belfast Gazette in the week beginning 1st May 2000 and comments were invited from the public and interested parties in respect of the issues to be addressed in the Plan. Consultations were also carried out with Magherafelt District Council, community groups, Government Departments and Agencies, statutory undertakers and other appropriate bodies. All representations received were taken into account in preparing the Draft Plan.

In March 2000 the Department informed Magherafelt District Council that the Plan would be prepared under new procedures which replaced the Preliminary Proposals stage with the publication of an Issues Paper.

The purpose of the Issues Paper was to offer the opportunity for wider and more effective public participation in the preparation of the Draft Plan. This focused thought on strategic matters in the early stages of the preparation process, in preference to the traditional approach of publishing for comment Preliminary Proposals of a site specific nature. The aim of the Issues Paper was to promote debate and feedback on matters which would shape the preparation of the Draft Plan.

Further discussions with Magherafelt District Council took place in August and September 2000 on the content of the Issues Paper then being prepared. The Department also appointed Community Technical Aid (CTA) to undertake an extensive community and public consultation exercise on the Issues Paper. The first stage of CTA’s work preceded publication of the Issues Paper. That work involved identification of community, voluntary and environmental groups throughout Magherafelt District likely to have an interest in the preparation of the Magherafelt Area Plan. Contact was made by CTA with 248 groups who were informed of the process and encouraged to participate. CTA held initial briefings with key umbrella groups in the area which were given the opportunity to express their views on issues of importance to the Plan. CTA then reported the results of this first stage exercise to the Department on 27th November 2000.

The Department published the Magherafelt Area Plan 2015 Issues Paper on 13 December 2000. A notice was placed in the local and regional newspapers and the Belfast Gazette in the two weeks beginning 13th December 2000 and comments were invited from the public and interested parties over a 14-week period ending 30th March 2001. Copies of the Paper were made available free of charge from the Divisional Planning Office, from the offices of Magherafelt District Council and from local libraries.

The Issues Paper and the notice advised that all views expressed in writing by 30 March 2001, including views conveyed through the report of CTA, representations received during the initial stages of the Plan review and the representations of statutory consultees, including Magherafelt District Council, would be considered in the preparation of the Draft Plan.

In February 2001 CTA facilitated 7 public meetings in the District. Planning Staff were in attendance at each meeting to assist and to answer questions. Each of the meetings was advertised in advance in the local press, and a reminder of the closing date for responses to the Issues Paper was published in the local and regional newspapers in the week beginning 12th March 2001.

CTA reported to Planning Service on 30th April 2001 on the implementation of, and their conclusions on, the community consultation exercise which they had facilitated. CTA received responses from 43 community, voluntary and environmental groups and from approximately 130 people who had attended the public meetings. Their report is included as part of the Technical Supplement on Public Participation.

During the advertised period for response to the Issues Paper 73 representations were received by Planning Service and 132 representations were received after that period. 170 representations raised site specific matters and 35 were of a general concern.

The Department is now publishing the Magherafelt Area Plan 2015 Draft Plan consisting of a Written Statement and accompanying maps. The Written Statement is divided into four parts. Part 1 sets out the Plan objectives and the strategy proposed to meet these objectives. Part 2 sets out the Strategic Plan framework comprising allocations, designations and policies relating to the whole District, intended to complement, and in reference to, the Regional Policy Context. Parts 3 and 4 set out the specific designations, policies, proposals and zonings respectively for the ‘Countryside’ and the ‘Settlements’. These allocations, designations, policies, proposals and zonings comprise, and are hereafter also referred to collectively as, the Plan Proposals.

The accompanying maps comprise:-

Countryside Map – this map illustrates Plan designations, proposals and zonings within the District but outside the settlement development limits and also certain other existing designations and land uses for information only. Any use of a symbol for illustration is cross referenced to a detailed map within the Countryside and Settlement sections of the written text.

Environmental Designations Countryside Map – this map illustrates by use of symbols the location of existing and proposed environmental designations within the District but outside the settlement development limits. The exact boundary of each is shown by an A4 map within the appendices.

Archaeological Sites & Monuments Map – this map depicts State Care and Scheduled sites and monuments within the District but outside the Settlement development limits.

Settlement Maps – each settlement map illustrates Plan designations, proposals and zonings within the settlement development limit, and may also include other designations and land uses for information only. Where a designation straddles the settlement development limit or in the case of a Local Landscape Policy Area ((LLPA) which is specifically settlement related) lies outside the limit in its entirety, the area outside the settlement development limit is indicated by the use of a symbol and cross referenced to the Countryside Map or clarification map.

Clarification Maps – where a designation relating to a settlement straddles the settlement development limit, lies outside the limit in its entirety (LLPA only), or where a designation is difficult to distinguish, by virtue of scale or overlapping, a clarification map is included to assist the reader. Clarification maps, where provided, prevail in matters of Plan designations, proposals and zonings.

Appendix Maps – show the exact boundary of existing and proposed environmental/conservation designations, and also historic parks, gardens and demesnes which will appear in an appendix to a Register being prepared by DOE Environment and Heritage Service.

All maps are reproduced by permission of the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office Crown Copyright Reserved 2004.

Representations in support of or objections to any of the allocations, designations, policies, proposals and zonings contained in the Draft Plan should be submitted in writing and must be received by 5.00PM on Wednesday 9th June 2004. Late objections cannot be considered.

Representations and objections should be addressed to:

Magherafelt Area Plan 2015
Divisional Planning Office
County Hall
182 Galgorm Road
BALLYMENA BT42 1QF
Tel: 02825 653333
Fax: 02825 662127

Email ballymena.planning@doeni.gov.uk

The Department will consider and attempt to resolve any objections it may receive relating to the Draft Plan. Where objections cannot be resolved the Department may request the Planning Appeals Commission to hold a public inquiry for the purposes of considering such objections. If a public inquiry is held the Department will consider the recommendations of the Planning Appeals Commission and then decide whether to adopt the Plan in whole or in part, with or without modification. A final version of the Plan incorporating any amendments or revisions will then be published.

The Department has also prepared and is publishing a number of supplements to accompany the Draft Plan. These supplements are not part of the Plan but provide background and technical information that has informed the Plan Proposals. These are:

1. Technical Supplements which deal with population and housing, industry, commerce, education, social and community facilities, tourism, open space, sport and outdoor recreation, public utilities, transportation and public participation.
2. A Countryside Assessment Technical Supplement which includes an appraisal of environmental assets, an assessment of the landscape of the District, an analysis of rural development pressure and an appraisal of each settlement in terms of its character, assets and constraints, conservation issues and settlement development limit.
3. A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) Supplement comprising an assessment of the probable environmental and equality impacts of the Plan Proposals.

In the case of any contradiction between the Written Statement and any other document forming part of the Draft Plan, including the maps and supplements, the provisions of the Written Statement will prevail.

The current statutory plan for Magherafelt District is the Magherafelt Area Plan 1976–1996. Although the Plan has passed its notional end date, it will remain a material consideration in determining planning applications within Magherafelt District until such time as it is superseded by the adoption of the Magherafelt Area Plan 2015.

The Draft Plan itself may constitute a material consideration in determining planning applications and further information on the weight the Department attaches to the provisions of emerging development plans is set out in Planning Policy Statement 1 - General Principles.

Nothing in the Draft Plan (hereafter referred to as the Plan) should be read as a commitment that public resources will be provided for any specific project. All proposals for public expenditure are subject to economic appraisal and will also have to be considered having regard to the overall availability of resources.

Equality of Opportunity

The Northern Ireland Act 1998 has placed the following statutory requirement on each public authority;

1. To carry out their functions with due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity:
    
   1. between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation;
   2. between men and women generally;
   3. between persons with a disability and persons without; and
   4. between persons with dependants and persons without; and
       
1. Without prejudice to its obligations under subsection (1) a public authority shall, in carrying out its functions relating to Northern Ireland, have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.

The Department has sought to ensure that the Plan does not have the effect of discriminating against individuals or groups of people who fall within these categories. The EQIA of the Plan Proposals has considered any potentially adverse effects on these groups. The EQIA is published as one of the supporting documents to the Written Statement.

New Targeting Social Need

The Department is committed to implementing the Northern Ireland Executive’s New Targeting Social Need (New TSN) policy, which involves tackling social need and social exclusion by targeting efforts and available resources towards people, groups and areas objectively defined as being in social need. This requires the application of objective measures to identify where deprivation occurs and then targeting existing and new spending to more effectively address the needs of the most deprived peoples and areas.

Planning Service is not a major spending Agency. However one of the main functions of a development plan is to facilitate development and create a land use framework that will allow investment to take place. The Plan seeks to apply the New Targeting Social Need through specific Plan Proposals.