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Northern Ireland Planning Service

Banbridge / Newry and Mourne Area Plan 2015
Preamble (Page 1 of 3)

The Banbridge/Newry and Mourne 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 Banbridge District Council on 21 February 2000 and to Newry and Mourne District Council on 29 February 2000, that the Department intended to prepare a new development plan to cover the two council areas for the period up to 2015. A Notice of Intention to prepare the Plan was published in the local and regional press in the week beginning 17 April 2000. 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 Banbridge and Newry and Mourne District Councils, community groups, Government Departments and Agencies, statutory undertakers and other appropriate bodies.
The Department 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 the Plan Area likely to have an interest in the preparation of the Plan. Contact was made by CTA with 680 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 provided the results of this first stage exercise to the Department in a report dated 20 December 2000.
The Department published the Issues Paper for the Banbridge / Newry and Mourne Area Plan 2015 in March 2001. A public notice was placed in the regional and local newspapers during the two weeks beginning 19 March 2001. Copies of the Issues Paper were made available free of charge from the Divisional Planning Office, from the offices of the two District Councils and local libraries.
During May and September 2001, CTA facilitated twelve public meetings at various locations across the Plan Area to conclude the initial community consultation process. Planning Service staff were in attendance at each meeting to assist and to answer questions.
CTA provided reports to the Department on 29 June 2001 and 5 October 2001 on the implementation of, and their conclusions on, the community consultation exercise which they had facilitated. As a result of this exercise, written submissions from 10 community, voluntary and environmental groups, and responses from over 200 people who had attended the public meetings were received. Their findings are included as part of the Technical Supplement on Public Participation.
As a result of the two stages of public consultation, approximately 1,200 representations have been received. All of these comments and representations have been considered by the Department in the preparation of the Draft Plan.
The Department is now publishing the Banbridge/Newry and Mourne Draft Area Plan 2015 consisting of a Written Statement and accompanying maps.
In the case of any contradiction between the Written Statement and any other document forming part of the Draft Plan, the provisions of the Written Statement will prevail.
The Plan Strategy, allocations, designations, policies, proposals and zonings comprise, and are hereafter also referred to collectively as the Plan Proposals.
The Plan is being published in 3 Volumes: -
Volume 1 sets out the background to the preparation of the Draft Plan; defines it's Aim, Objectives and Plan Strategy; and, with reference to the Regional Policy Context, sets out the Strategic Plan Framework comprising allocations, policies and designations relating to the Plan Area as a whole.
Volumes 2 and 3 translate the broad allocations, policies and designations in Volume 1 into site specific zonings, designations and proposals for Banbridge and Newry and Mourne Council Areas respectively.
To understand the totality of the Plan Proposals for each Council area, it is therefore necessary to refer to the Plan Strategy and Framework (Volume 1) and the relevant District Proposals.
The accompanying maps comprise:
  • Overview Map - this map illustrates the Plan Area boundary and strategic designations.
  • Environmental Designations Map -this map illustrates, by use of symbols, the location of environmental designations within the Plan Area for information only. The exact boundary of each designation can be obtained from Environment and Heritage Service, (DOE), Commonwealth House, 35 Castle Street, Belfast, BT1 1GU,
  • Countryside Maps - these maps illustrate Draft Plan designations, proposals and zonings within each District. Other designations and land uses are also shown 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.
  • Settlement Maps - these maps illustrate Draft Plan designations, proposals and zonings within the settlement development limits, and may also include other designations and land uses for information only.
  • Clarification Maps - these maps assist the reader where a designation is difficult to distinguish. Where provided, they prevail over other maps in matters of Plan designations, proposals and zonings. In some instances, Clarification Maps may also show non-Plan designations for information only.
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 2006.
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