The Northern Ireland Planning Statistics: First Quarter 2024/25 Statistical Bulletin, has been published today
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Date published:
Provisional planning statistics for the first quarter of 2024/25 are now available.
These data provide an overall view of planning activity. Alongside this there is a summary of council performance across the three statutory targets, for major development applications, local development applications and enforcement as laid out in the Local Government (Performance Indicators and Standards) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015, along with other statistics of interest such as application approval rates.
The publication is available on the Department for Infrastructure website.
Key points
The key points from the Northern Ireland Planning Statistics: First Quarter 2024/25 Statistical Bulletin are:
- There were 2,538 planning applications received during the first quarter of 2024/25; an increase of one percent on the previous quarter and down by four percent on the same period a year earlier. This comprised of 2,500 local and 38 major applications.
- In the first quarter of 2024/25, 2,325 planning applications were decided, a decrease of three percent from the previous quarter and down by twelve percent from the same period a year earlier. Decisions were issued on 2,271 local and 54 major applications during the most recent quarter.
- The average processing time for local applications brought to a decision or withdrawal during the first three months of 2024/25 was 19.0 weeks across all councils. This exceeds the 15 week target and is the same as the average processing time reported for the same period a year earlier. Five of the 11 councils were within the 15 week target after the first three months of 2024/25.
- The average processing time for major applications brought to a decision or withdrawal during the first three months of 2024/25 was 38.6 weeks across all councils. While exceeding the 30 week target, this represents a decrease of 21.0 weeks compared with the same period a year earlier.
- Across councils 69.7% of enforcement cases were concluded within 39 weeks during the first three months of 2024/25. This represents a decrease from the rate recorded in 2023/24 (77.2%). Individually, seven of the 11 councils were meeting the 70% target in after the first three months of 2024/25.
Notes to editors:
- This is the latest in a regular series of statistical bulletins related to Development Management (Planning) functions. The Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 sets out the legislative framework for development management and provides that, from 1 April 2015, councils now largely have responsibility for this planning function. This statistical bulletin reports on activity and performance for the first quarter of 2024/25 (1 April 2024 – 30 June 2024).
- A new classification hierarchy for planning applications came into effect on 1 April 2014 in advance of the transfer of planning functions to local government from 1 April 2015. The development categories are – major and local development applications, processed primarily by councils, and regionally significant development applications, processed within the Department for Infrastructure. Note that the ‘major development’ category is based on a completely different definition to the previous ‘major’ category so figures relating to this category should not be compared with those from earlier bulletins (i.e. pre-2014/15).
- The three statutory targets, for major development applications, local development applications and enforcement as laid out in the Local Government (Performance Indicators and Standards) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015 are reported on within this report. These are processing of local development decisions within an average of 15 weeks; processing of major development decisions within an average of 30 weeks and bringing 70% of enforcements to conclusion within 39 weeks.
- The final records of all applications from 1 April 2024 to 30 June 2024 were transferred in August 2024 from live databases and inspected for consistency in coding before figures were prepared for publication. These figures are regarded as ‘provisional’ and will be subject to further scheduled revisions as further updates are made to records in the live database environments. Finalised annual figures for 2024/25 will be released in July 2025.
Quarterly data are provided in more detailed accompanying data tables together with comparable data from the previous financial year.
- Following an independent assessment by the UK Statistics Authority, the NI Planning Statistics report received accreditation in December 2020, demonstrating that it meets the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value.
- Electronic copies of the bulletin, associated data tables and summary infographic are available free of charge from the Department for Infrastructure website.
- These statistics are accredited official statistics. Accredited Official Statistics are official statistics that have been independently reviewed by Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) and confirmed to comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
- For more information relating to this publication, including additional analysis, breakdowns of data, or alternative formats please contact:
Room 4.13c,
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10 - 18 Adelaide Street,
Town Parks
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- Telephone: (028) 9054 0390(Text relay prefix 18001)
- E-mail: asrb@nisra.gov.uk
- Website: DfI Statistics and research
ASRB advise customers to make contact through email or by telephone at this time.
- All media queries should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office at: press.office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk.
- The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.