PLAN AREA

The Plan relates to the administrative area of Magherafelt District Council, an area of approximately 573 sq. km with a population in 2001 of 39,780. The main settlement is Magherafelt. Further details relating to the population of the settlements throughout the District are contained in Part 2 of the Plan and the Population and Housing Technical Supplement.

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 Magherafelt District over the Plan period 2000 – 2015.

PLAN ALLOCATIONS, DESIGNATIONS, POLICIES, PROPOSALS AND ZONINGS – THE PLAN PROPOSALS

The allocations, designations, policies, proposals and zonings contained in the Plan, hereafter collectively also referred to as the Plan Proposals, 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 designations, policies and proposals may be relevant to a particular development proposal.

The Plan 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 regional policy publications and supplementary planning guidance documents.

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

POLICY CONTEXT

The Plan is prepared within the context of the priorities of the Northern Ireland Executive as set out in the Programme for Government, taking into account European, National and Regional policies which have implications for the future pattern of development within the District.

European and UK Context

The European Union and the United Kingdom have embraced the principle of sustainable development based on stewardship of the environment and it has widened the concept to embrace economic and social considerations. The four objectives of sustainable development are:-

• social progress that meets the needs of everyone;
• effective protection of the environment;
• prudent use of natural resources; and
• maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.

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, Magherafelt 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 well-being of the Region as a whole. This is to be achieved by action on a series of Strategic Objectives and Supporting Strategic Planning Guidelines.

The Planning (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 requires the Plan to be in general conformity with the RDS.

Regional Transportation Strategy

The Regional Transportation Strategy 2002-2012 (RTS) was published in 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 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.

Planning Policy Statements

Planning Policy Statements (PPSs) set out the policies of the Department on particular aspects of land use planning and apply to the whole of Northern Ireland. Their contents have informed the Plan preparation and the Plan Proposals and they are material to decisions on individual planning applications and appeals within Magherafelt District. Details of PPSs are contained in Appendix 2.

The Department has a rolling programme for preparation of new PPSs and review of existing PPSs. In addition a number of PPSs are currently being prepared by the Department for Regional Development which will also apply throughout Northern Ireland. Where new or revised PPSs are published in final form they will supersede the corresponding policies within the Plan.

PPSs may from time to time be revised to take account of changing circumstances, including experience gained through the development planning and development control processes. Good practice guides may also be issued to illustrate how concepts contained in PPSs can best be implemented.

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 reacting to development proposals. It is of relevance to Magherafelt District.

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

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 considering 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, in furtherance of the Quality Initiative to improve the quality of new housing developments, 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 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. Development Control Advice Notes are listed in Appendix 3.

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 Magherafelt District.

PLAN AIM

The overall aim of the Plan is to provide a planning framework which facilitates sustainable growth and high quality development in Magherafelt District throughout the Plan period whilst protecting and where appropriate enhancing the natural and man made environment.

PLAN OBJECTIVES

• To facilitate sustainable patterns of growth and development throughout the Plan area in accordance with the sustainability related strategic objectives of the RDS;
• To promote Magherafelt as a local hub within Northern Ireland and to strengthen its role as the principal administrative, trade, employment and residential centre within the District;
• To allocate land for additional housing development over the Plan period in accordance with the strategic objectives and guidelines contained in the RDS;
• To facilitate appropriate development within existing urban areas that will promote urban renaissance, create ease of access to services and community facilities, and to maximise the use of existing infrastructure;
• To promote compact urban forms that respect the individual character and identity of settlements, avoid urban sprawl and conserve the countryside;
• To facilitate economic development and the creation of employment, taking into account the Government initiative: New Targeting Social Need;
• To facilitate integration between land use planning and transportation in order to reduce congestion and the need for car journeys and to encourage a shift to more sustainable modes of transport, including walking, cycling and public transport;
• To promote vital and viable town centres;
• To protect and enhance the character, quality and biodiversity of natural and man-made environments; and
• To facilitate the promotion of equality of opportunity and good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.

PLAN STRATEGY

The Plan Strategy centres on the need to be in general conformity with the Regional Development Strategy and in particular the Spatial Development Strategy a major thrust of which is to promote more sustainable patterns of development based on:-

• a polycentric network of growth poles integrated with the transport corridors and incorporating enhanced public transport;
• compact urban forms;
• more housing within existing urban areas; and
• the sensible and sensitive use of the built heritage and the rural environment.

In summary the Plan Strategy is to:-

• sustain a living and working countryside whilst supporting the growth and regeneration of towns and villages and protecting from inappropriate development those areas that are vulnerable to development pressure or that are visually or environmentally sensitive, through Green Belt and Countryside Policy Area designations;
• identify, define and designate as appropriate, areas of conservation, archaeological, scientific, landscape or amenity importance or interest, within both the natural and built heritage of the District;
• provide a settlement hierarchy, designate settlement development limits, zone land and designate policy areas such as will:-

− facilitate allocation of housing growth potential in accordance with the RDS, through a sequential approach, in support of urban renaissance and conservation of town settings and greenfield lands, by maximising as feasible the identified proportion within existing urban areas;

− facilitate a level of housing development in each designated settlement that is in accordance with the approach set out in the RDS regarding assessment of individual settlement capacity and any identified special housing needs;

− recognise that single dwelling development is likely to continue, at a level which is difficult to predict; and

− facilitate a level of overall growth in both Magherafelt and Maghera which reflects their individual status as towns and in reference to the RDS.

• establish key site requirements as appropriate against which particular site development proposals will be assessed in order to help achieve good quality development, to respect environmental assets and to facilitate the development of balanced communities in accordance with the strategic requirements of the RDS;
• designate additional industrial land to make provision for an adequate supply and choice of sites for employment uses which take account of accessibility to major transport routes and the provisions of the RDS including the proximity to the District population, particularly in areas of economic and social deprivation;
• identify, define, designate and safeguard as appropriate specific areas where the retention of, or provision of additional retail, services, recreational and other community facilities will positively contribute to the amenity and well being of the District population, subject to prevailing regional planning policy.
• define, as appropriate, transportation related proposals in accordance with the Regional Transportation Strategy which are intended to facilitate improved flow of vehicular traffic whilst promoting reduction in car travel and the use of alternative modes of travel.

It is proposed that the Plan will implement this Strategy through the Plan Proposals that are in accordance with, and also complement the Department’s regional planning policies. The Plan Proposals are contained in Parts 2, 3 and 4 of the Plan.