New Operating Procedures for Planning Committee

New Operating Procedures for Planning Committee

Following one full year of operations, which included an externally facilitated review of its Planning Committee operating procedures, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council will be implementing new operating procedures for its Planning Committee as of the meeting on the 8 June 2016.

Councillor Jarlath Tinnelly, the Chair of the Planning Committee welcomed the new operating procedures and stated, “These operating procedures will guide the activities and functions of the Planning Committee and will ensure the Planning Committee stay focused through the Planning process. The procedures will also add consistency and reliability to the Planning process, and will help the Committee get things done.”

He continued, “The new procedures have been put in place as part of the Council’s commitment to enabling public involvement in the Planning process; and will provide the opportunity for people to speak at the Planning Committee.”

The new procedures, which are available in full on the Council’s web site at newrymournedown.org, include:

The committee will meet every four weeks (additional meetings may be scheduled if required) with dates and times being advertised on the Council website. The agenda, including details of applications for consideration, will be issued two weeks in advance of the meeting.

The Committee will consider applications that:

are recommended for refusal
are recommended for approval but:

4 are significantly contrary to the development plan

4 have six or more valid Planning objections

4 have an objection from a statutory consultee

fall within the Major category of development
are made by the Council or an elected member of the Council
relate to land in which the Council has an interest or estate
the Chief Planning Officer considers should be decided by the Committee
have been referred by an elected Member for sound Planning reasons
have been submitted by council staff who are:

4 directly involved in the consideration of Planning applications or

4 at the level of Head of Service or above.

Case Officer Reports for all applications being considered, will be available on the Planning Portal.

For each application considered the Committee will:

Approve the application with conditions as recommended
Approve the application with amendments to the recommended conditions
Approve the application contrary to Officer recommendations
Refuse the application for the reasons recommended
Refuse the application with additional, fewer or amended reasons
Refuse the application contrary to Officer recommendations; or
Defer the application seeking additional information or a site visit.

Meetings will be open to the public and if a member of the public wishes to speak at Committee they must contact the Council’s Democratic Services department (email: democratic.services@nmandd.org) at least five working days before the meeting. Only those who have registered a request to speak and have provided written submissions shall be permitted to make oral representations.

Speakers will not be permitted to circulate papers to members at the Committee Meeting. Only one deputation on behalf of those objecting and one deputation on behalf of those supporting the application will be permitted to address the Committee.

Deputations shall consist of no more than three persons. Where three or more persons wish to speak, they will be required to arrange a single deputation to express their representations. Each deputation shall be permitted a maximum of five minutes.

Elected Members, who represent the District Electoral Area specific to the location of an application, may address the Committee, if appropriate notification has been given. Such representations will be restricted to a maximum of two minutes in total.

The power to decide an application lies with the Committee and it is entitled to come to a decision contrary to Officers’ recommendations.

Back