Guidance on temporary changes to major planning application process due to Covid-19
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Changes to the process for major planning applications, temporarily removing the requirement to hold a public event as part of the pre application community consultation, come into operation today.
The Planning (Development Management) (Temporary Modifications) (Coronavirus) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 temporarily amend the Planning (Development Management) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 and will apply for five months.
Applicants will still need to comply with other requirements to ensure communities are aware of and can input to major development proposals for their areas. However, this temporary change will allow major planning applications to continue to be submitted during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Guidance for applicants on alternatives to this important element of the consultation process has been provided and is available via the link below.