Home improvement and housing development planning applications still falling
Published on Thu, 22 Dec 2011
by ecomms@doeni.gov.uk.
The Northern Ireland Planning Second Quarterly Development Management Statistical Bulletin 2011/12 provisional figures have been published today.
The figures reveal that the number of planning applications being submitted in Northern Ireland for domestic alterations and extensions is still falling, down by 37% in urban areas and by 31% in rural areas on the same time last year. A significant fall has also been observed for housing developments (down 45%).
This is part of an overall decline in planning applications being received and may partially reflect the ongoing economic uncertainty. In the period July – September 2011/12, just over 3,200 applications were received, which is well under half the level of four years ago when over 7,500 applications were received.
Planning performance, in terms of application processing times for Major, Intermediate, and Minor applications for the second quarter in 2011/12 were all lower than the levels achieved for the corresponding quarter last year.
Similarly, year-to-date performance is much lower when compared with the first half of 2010/11.
The key points to note in the bulletin are:
1. Applications received
In Quarter 2, Planning received 3,217 planning applications. This is a decrease of 27% compared with the same period last year. The majority of applications are for residential development, and at 1,868 make up around three fifths (58%) of all application types received.
2. Applications decided
Planning issued decisions on 3,720 applications in the second quarter of 2011/12, just under a fifth fewer than same time period last year (4,582).
The number of decisions issued for full planning permission applications decreased by 484, from 3,453 to 2,969 (down 14%) compared to Quarter 2 last year
3. Applications approved
Overall, 92% of applications decided in the second quarter of 2011/12 were approved. Approval rates varied across Local Government Districts, from 80% in Omagh, to 98% in Magherafelt.
4. Applications received for residential development
The number of applications for full planning permission in urban areas fell by 486 (42%) when compared with Quarter 2 in 2010/11, from 1,153 to 667.
The number of applications for full planning permission in rural areas also fell during the same time period, from 1,207 to 661, a 45% fall.
5. Applications decided for residential development
In terms of the decisions issued for residential development, those for urban areas fell by over a quarter (27%), from 1,327 in Quarter 2 2010/11 to 969 for the second quarter of 2011/12. The decrease in planning decisions issued for residential development in rural areas was more pronounced, falling by almost a third (32%) from 2,019 to 1,365.
6. Renewable energy applications
Renewable energy applications can include wind turbines, wind farms, solar panels, biomass burners and hydroelectric schemes. The vast majority of renewable energy applications received in Quarter 2 were for single wind turbines (170 out of 193 renewable energy applications received or 88%).
7. Results for Key Performance Targets
The 2011/12 processing target for Major planning applications (predominantly housing developments, commercial and retail development) is to decide 60% of major applications to decision or withdrawal in 23 weeks. In the second quarter of 2011/12, 40% of major applications were processed in 23 weeks compared with 64% in the same period last year.
The 2011/12 processing target for Intermediate planning applications (predominantly single houses) is to decide 70% of intermediate applications to decision or withdrawal in 31 weeks. In the second quarter 2011/12, 71% of intermediate applications were processed in 31 weeks compared with 78% in the same quarter last year.
The 2011/12 processing target for Minor planning applications (predominantly alterations and extensions to houses) is to decide 80% of Minor applications to decision or withdrawal in 18 weeks. In the second quarter of 2011/12, 62% of minor applications were processed in 18 weeks compared with 83% in the corresponding quarter last year.
There are two targets for the validation of a planning application. The first is to validate 85% of applications within six days and the second is to validate 95% of applications within 10 days. In the second quarter of 2011/12, 94% of planning applications were validated within 6 days and 97% were validated within 10 days.
There are a further two targets for the time taken to issue a decision after last Council consultation. The first is to issue 85% of decisions within 2 weeks and the second is to issue 95% of decisions within four weeks. In the second quarter of 2011/12, 77% of decisions were issued within two weeks of last Council consultation and 87% were issued within four weeks of last Council consultation.
8. Year to date performance
In the first half of 2011/12, 41% of major applications were decided or withdrawn within the target period compared with 61% in the first half of 2010/11.
In the first half of 2011/12, just under 70% of intermediate applications were decided or withdrawn within the target period compared with 80% in the first half of 2010/11.
In the first half of 2011/12, 64% of minor applications were decided or withdrawn within the target period compared with 85% in the first half of 2010/11.
92% of applications were validated within six days in the first half of 2011/12 compared with 89% in the first half of 2010/12 and 97% of applications were validated within 10 days in the first half of 2011/12 compared with 95% in the first half of 2010/11.
79% of decisions were issued within two weeks of last Council consultation in the first half of 2011/12 compared with 88% in the first half of 2010/11 and 88% of decisions were issued within four weeks of last Council consultation in the first half of 2011/12 compared with 95% in the first half of 2010/11.
Notes to editors:
1. This is the latest in a series of Quarterly Development Management Statistics Bulletin.
2. The information contained in this press release is based on provisional data. This will be superceded by the publication of the annual statistical bulletin in July 2012.
3. There are seven performance targets covered in the report, covering Planning performance in relation to the processing of planning applications.
The records of all applications from 1 July 2011 to 30 September 2011 were transferred in November 2011 from a live database and inspected for consistency in coding before figures were finalised for publication.
Electronic copies of the ‘Planning Service Development Management Statistical Bulletin’ are available at: http://www.planningni.gov.uk/common-eplanning-stats-publications.htm
Hard copies are available free of charge from: Department of the Environment, Millennium House, 17 - 25 Great Victoria Street, Belfast BT2 7BN
Telephone: 028 9041 6700
E-mail: planning.service.hq@doeni.gov.uk
Website: http://www.planningni.gov.uk or
Telephone: (028) 9041 6777
E-mail: asb@doeni.gov.uk
The records of all applications from 1 July 2011 to 30 September 2011 were transferred in November 2011 from a live database and inspected for consistency in coding before figures were finalised for publication.
Electronic copies of the ‘Planning Service Development Management Statistical Bulletin’ are available at: http://www.planningni.gov.uk/common-eplanning-stats-publications.htm
Hard copies are available free of charge from: Department of the Environment, Millennium House, 17 - 25 Great Victoria Street, Belfast BT2 7BN
Telephone: 028 9041 6700
E-mail: planning.service.hq@doeni.gov.uk
Website: http://www.planningni.gov.uk or
Telephone: (028) 9041 6777
E-mail: asb@doeni.gov.uk
4. All media enquiries should be directed to the DOE Press Office 028 9025 6058 or for out of office hours, contact the duty press officer on pager 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
