Interim Regional Planning Commission
The interim Regional Planning Commission (iRPC) was established following a recommendation from the Public Accounts Committee report on Planning in Northern Ireland (March 2022). Its aim was to constructively review, identify improvements and promote further accountability in planning in the North and support the wider planning improvement agenda.
The Terms of Reference for the interim Commission are available at:
Membership of the iRPC was designed to reflect key stakeholder interests across the community, economic and environmental sectors. The interim Commission was chaired by Rosemary Thomas a former Chief Planner for Wales until December 2024 whilst the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) undertook the secretariat role. Details of Commission members are available at:
A work programme was agreed and implemented through focused stakeholder engagement sessions to gather evidence from a range of sectors, with the aim of identifying effective practices and developing recommendations for consideration to improve the planning system in the North. The minutes of the iRPC meetings are available at:
The work programme was completed during summer 2025, and the Commission delivered its report and recommendations to the Minister of Infrastructure, Liz Kimmins in November 2025. It is currently under consideration.