Summary
On 20 September 2023 the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland wrote to Permanent Secretaries of Northern Ireland Departments directing that they launch public consultations on measures to support budget sustainability by raising additional revenue.
Documents
- Increase in Private Streets Inspection Fees - Consultation Paper
- Equality Impact Assessment
- Rural Needs Impact Assessment
Consultation description
The consultation outlined different options to generate revenue from charging for private streets inspection services in Northern Ireland, with a focus on creating sustainable public finances. It sought views on raising the existing fees that have been unchanged since 2003. It also sought views on the potential establishment of fees for private streets access onto public roads and increased fees to cover the cost of the Department taking enforcement action.
The consultation provided an overview of proposed increase in existing fees and the potential establishment of additional fees for the inspection of private streets developments in Northern Ireland. A Private Street is defined as any street that is not currently part of the public road network and as such is not maintained by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI). The Private Streets legislation is designed to recover all costs from developers for the Department’s work in processing bonds and carrying out inspections, investigations, tests and the taking of samples to ensure new streets are safe and can be adopted into the public road network. The Private Streets inspection fees have remained unchanged since 2003 and the costs of carrying out inspections of development sites are now significantly higher than they were then.
The consultation sought views on the main pathway through which the inspection fees may be increased and identified additional areas of the Private Streets inspection process that could be considered for the establishment of fees. The Department considered how best to ensure that the cost recovery mechanism for inspection and administration of the private streets function is financially sustainable and complies with guidance on setting of fees for public services.
This consultation sought views on the proposed options to raise revenue through raising fees and establishing new fees for Private Streets Inspections.
This consultation is now closed and no responses can be submitted. A consultation report will be published in due course.
Ways to respond
Consultation closed — responses are no longer being accepted.