Planning Improvement Agenda

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The planning system in Northern Ireland plays an important role in unlocking development potential, supporting economic growth, and promoting a more socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable region. The department continues to work in partnership with local government, who are responsible for determining over 99% of planning applications and delivering local development plans, and key stakeholders to drive forward the planning improvement agenda, focusing on enhancing the system’s effectiveness, resilience, and long‑term sustainability. The efficiency and effectiveness of the planning system is a collective responsibility for all those involved in the process.

Work is actively progressing across three strategic focus areas; each aimed at identifying and driving meaningful improvements:

strengthening shared understanding of operational challenges;
investing in workforce capacity and capability; and
addressing broader legislative and system-wide improvements.

A central component of the planning improvement agenda has been the collective analysis and shared understanding of operational challenges affecting the planning system. The department continues to work in partnership with the local government and key stakeholders to help identify challenges, blockages and delays in the operational aspects of the planning process, to help inform opportunities for support, shared learning and best practice.

Supporting the planning workforce is a key priority within the planning improvement agenda, in recognition of the critical importance of a well-resourced planning system. In response to sector-wide challenges in recruitment and retention, the Department, in partnership with four councils and Belfast Metropolitan College, launched a bespoke Trainee Planner Programme which commenced in January 2026. The programme aims to bring new talent into the profession and support the succession of public sector planning.

The review of the Local Development Plan (LDP) process is focusing on legislative and guidance changes, as well as procedural improvements that may not require legislative intervention. A review of existing development plan guidance is also ongoing alongside the review of the LDP Regulations, both of which incorporate learning from practice to date.

Financial sustainability and cost recovery within the planning system also remain key areas of focus. Work is ongoing to assess the system’s financial resilience across statutory and non‑statutory functions and services. A public consultation launched in October 2025 on short-term proposals in relation to charging for statutory planning functions which currently do not attract a fee/charge. The consultation also invited feedback on a broader range of planning fee-related issues to help inform the longer-term review of planning fees. This included exploring potential new fee categories, adjustments to existing charges, and the overall structure and fairness of the current system. This consultation closed December 2025 and comments are currently under consideration.

Other recent statutory improvements include new legislation to allow council planning authorities to introduce statutory validation checklists, with the aim of improving the quality of planning applications entering the system, supporting more efficient consultee responses, and thereby reducing the potential for delays in the process. New legislation was also introduced over summer 2025 to improve both the Pre-Application Community Consultation and the Pre-Determination Hearing processes. A review of the classes and thresholds for local, major, and regionally significant development, as part of the review of the Planning (Development Management) Regulations (NI) 2015, is also moving forward at pace.

The ongoing planning improvement work aims to improve all aspects of the system, including the local development plan and development management processes, to help ensure that sustainable development is facilitated as efficiently and effectively as possible. Whilst good progress has been made to date, it is important to recognise that many of the measures and initiatives will take time to bed in and for sustainable improvement in the performance of the planning system to be realised.

The planning improvement agenda is not a one-off initiative, but a process of continuous improvement, driven by working together through ongoing engagement and recognising our shared responsibility, and a commitment to delivering practical, tangible and positive changes that respond to the needs of communities across the North.

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Planning Improvement Agenda