The History of Planning Service
 

The first piece of planning legislation in Northern Ireland was the 1931 Planning and Housing Act (NI). Planning powers were vested in County Borough Councils, County Councils, and Borough and Urban District Councils - 37 local authorities in all. However,
it was not until the passing of the 1944 Planning (Interim Development) Act (Northern Ireland) that an effective development control system was put in place.

In 1970, the Macrory Report on the review of local government in Northern Ireland proposed - and the Government subsequently accepted - that planning (among other services) should become a central government responsibility, with 26 new district councils having a consultative role. Macrory had expected that members of the Northern Ireland Parliament would exercise a watching brief over the regional services. The Parliament was, however, dissolved in 1972 leaving what is sometimes referred to as the "Macrory Gap" in democratic accountability or the "democratic deficit".

The Town and Country Planning Service was established in 1973 when the responsibilities of the local planning authorities briefly passed to the Ministry of Development and then to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Planning before being assimilated into the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. The Department's statutory planning functions are currently contained in the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 and associated subordinate legislation.

The Town and Country Planning Service became an Executive Agency (known as the "the Planning Service") of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland on 1 April 1996.

Following devolution of authority to the Northern Ireland Executive in 1998, the "Department of The Environment for Northern Ireland" was renamed "The Department of The Environment". Some of the functions previously undertaken by the "old" Department were transferred to other Northern Ireland Departments. Planning Service remains an Executive within the Department of The Environment.