Planning Portal Accessibility Statement
This statement applies to content published on the Planning Portal which is used by the Department and 10 of the 11 councils (Mid Ulster District Council has it's own system).
This includes:
The Planning Portal is run by Terraquest Solutions on behalf of DfI and the 10 participating Councils. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. The text should be clear and simple to understand. You should be able to:
- zoom in up to 300 per cent without problems
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- use most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
How accessible this website is
The majority of the website is accessible. However, the following areas are not fully accessible:
- On the applications, forms, and Property Certificate pages there are some issues with very low contrast between text colour and background colour. This may cause issues for users with low vision.
- On the forms pages some of the form fields are focusable when the form is not open.
- The log in page has logos that have the same name but go to different links. There are two links called ‘terms and conditions’ that also lead to different links.
- All calendar fields do not have labels.
How to ask for content in an accessible format
If you need content on the Planning Portal website in a different format email the Intelligent Client Function, Belfast City Council ICF@belfastcity.gov.uk and advise:
- the web address (URL) of the content
- your name and email address
- the format you need, for example, audio CD, braille, BSL or large print, accessible PDF
This email address is for accessibility queries about the Planning Portal website only - the team cannot respond to any other queries.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
Planning Portal is always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think the site is not meeting accessibility requirements, contact the Intelligent Client Function, Belfast City Council by:
- email: ICF@belfastcity.gov.uk
This email address is for accessibility queries about the Planning Portal NI websites only - the team cannot respond to any other queries.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’) in Northern Ireland. If you’re not happy with how Planning Portal responded to your complaint, contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI).
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
We provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.
Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.
Belfast City Council Planning Service,
Intelligent Client Function
Place and Economy Department
Belfast City Council
9-21 Adelaide Street,
Belfast
BT2 8DJ
Tel: 028 9032 0202 (Ext: 2436)
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The Authorities are committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to one of the following: ‘the non-compliances’, ‘the exemptions’ or ‘the non-compliances and exemptions’ listed below.
Non-accessible content
An independent Accessibility Audit was carried out by an external company. The results of that have identified several issues and there is a plan in place to address the critical issues by November 2023.
Any new PDFs or other documents we publish will meet the required accessibility standards.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Some pages have poor colour contrast, this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum).
Some pages do not have suitable headings and labels, this means assisted technologies will not be able to read them correctly. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.6 (headings and labels).
One page has similarly named link texts that lead to different webpages. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link purpose).
On some pages calendar fields do not have labels, users of assistive technologies may be not be able use this functionality, this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text context)
There is a plan in place to address these critical issues by November 2023.
Disproportionate burden
Not applicable.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
If you have any problems using this website, tell us by:
Email: ICF@belfastcity.gov.uk
This email address is for accessibility queries about the Planning Portal NI websites only - the team cannot respond to any other queries.
How we tested this website
This website was designed in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 level A and level AA, and Microsoft accessibility guidelines. An independent Accessibility Audit was carried out by an external company. The results of that have identified a number of issues and there will is a plan in place to address these in 2023.
The Authorities used the Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) approach to deciding on a sample of pages to test.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
Maintaining an accessible site is an ongoing process and as set out earlier we have a plan in place to address a number of the issue by November 2023.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 15 December 2022. It was last reviewed on 15 March 2023.
The Planning Portal was last tested on 17 February 2023. The test was carried out by Expleo Consulting and the feedback has led to the formulation of a plan to address a number of the issues by November 2023.