The town and country planning system in Northern Ireland came into being in 1931 when planning powers were vested in the then local authorities. In 1970 the Macrory Report on the local government system proposed that planning should become a central government responsibility. The Town and Country Planning Service was subsequently created in 1973 within the Ministry of Development. This placed the Service in a unique position where it was responsible for planning functions which elsewhere in the UK were separated between central and local government. The Planning Service will now become the first agency in the UK to deliver planning services.

As an agency the Planning Service will assume greater freedom to manage its own affairs and explore a range of options for more effective delivery of services, including the use of private finance. These services are vital; influencing the future pattern of development throughout Northern Ireland. The activities of the Planning Service will continue to be a focus for economic and social investment to meet the needs of the community, provision of a service infrastructure and protection of the environment.

Development plans are an integral part of the planning system and provide an opportunity for the community and public bodies to look ahead in a visionary way and attempt to shape, and also conserve, the environment in which succeeding generations will live. The successful discharge of the Agency’s responsibility for land use planning with its many and varied aspects will therefore require positive public participation and constructive relationships with both elected representatives and local communities. District Councils in particular have a key role to play in the formation of planning policies and development control because of their position and their regular contact with the Planning Service. Successful planning policies will be those which command widespread support and are accepted as a basis for controlling development. I also expect the Agency to promote a higher quality of development in town and country. This will require the support of all those involved in the development process.

Under this Framework Document, I am devolving responsibility for day to day manage-ment of the Agency to its Chief Executive. He will be accountable for achieving the objectives I have set and for meeting specific performance targets which will be reviewed each year. Operation of the planning system in an Agency environment will be particularly challenging because development control is not a repetitive mechanical process but the consideration of individual cases on their own merits against a background of development plans and planning policies.

I am confident that the Planning Service will grasp the opportunities offered by agency status which will enable it to pursue continuous improvement in the delivery of services to its customers and to provide a planning system which represents value for money.

MALCOLM MOSS MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State