McGlone Calls for Better Management in Planning Service

SDLP MLA for Mid Ulster, Patsy McGlone, has called for better management of experienced staff and other resources within the Planning Service. On Tuesday 28th September the Assembly passed a motion, co-sponsored by Mr McGlone, calling on the Planning Appeals Commission [PAC] “to carry out its work more efficiently and to give priority to major planning applications on which public inquiries are to be held.”

Speaking afterwards the SDLP Deputy Leader said, “We need an efficient decision-making process for the Planning Service, the Department and by the Minister because we cannot have major applications, which have serious economic implications for the amounts of money that are available for investment by investors and for the amounts of jobs that that could realise, being held up at departmental level.

“It is not only the Planning Appeals Commission that is the sticking point. Judicial reviews have the potential to stymie any development, irrespective of the merits or demerits of that.

“Where there are major issues concerning job creation and investment, the PAC needs to prioritise how it can resolve and deal with an issue. The fact that only two commissioners are allowed to deal with a major planning application that has been designated for a public inquiry concerns those of us who want to see such things moved and brought off the shelf.

“Some area plans still remain to be resolved. If they are being held up at the PAC, we need to know why and we need to see those matters move to resolution.

“The key issue is resources and staffing requirements. There are not enough staff in general and not enough staff with sufficient experience to deal with the cases, especially where the call has been made to have major planning applications fast-tracked to a public inquiry.

“Experienced and qualified planners can find themselves redeployed to, for example, administrative duties for which they are not particularly qualified for or particularly anxious to go into. Their experience should be used for the public good and in the public interest. If staff need to be redeployed there has to be some way of tapping into their knowledge. Better management of those experienced staff makes sense.”

ENDS