Insight into the current status and planned content of Belfast City Council’s forthcoming Local Policies Plan (LPP) was shared with RSUA members today at a meeting with the Council’s Director of Planning and Building Control, Kate Bentley, together with Planning Managers Dermot O’Kane (Plans and Policy) and Ed Baker (Development Management).
RSUA was represented by Sarah Brady, Kerry Calvert, Robert Freeburn, Micah Jones, James Keenan, Ciaran Mackel (Local Group Chair), Mark McCullough, Conor McGowan, Brian McKervey, Ruth McNickle, Marcin Piotrowicz and Lindsay Totten.
Local Development Plan
Like all councils in Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council is preparing a Local Development Plan (LDP) to provide the primary basis for determining local planning applications.
The LDP comprises two parts: the Plan Strategy, which sets out a strategic policy framework across a range of areas, including housing, employment and infrastructure; and the Local Policies Plan (LPP), which implements the Strategy through more detailed measures such as zoning and settlement limits.
Belfast adopted its Plan Strategy in May 2023. Meanwhile, the LPP is currently at an advanced draft stage and undergoing internal engagement and legal review. Council members appear broadly content with its direction, although the current timetable – which indicates full adoption by September 2027 – is almost certain to be revised.
Among the items identified by the Council for inclusion in the LPP are:
The Council agreed to consider what role it can play, either through the LPP or by other means, in incentivising the interim use of lands that cannot be developed in the short to medium term – namely sites where development is considered highly unlikely to be supported because of infrastructure deficits.
It was advised that the next stage in the LPP process will be the publication of a draft plan for public consultation. The Council will notify RSUA when the consultation is launched.
Planning Application Validation Checklist
A source of frustration among RSUA members has been the difficulty of undertaking seasonal species surveys when seeking validation of a planning application.
Planning authorities are legally required to request that applicants provide both a Biodiversity Checklist and any associated surveys identified by that checklist at the outset of an application.
However, due to a shortage of ecologists in Northern Ireland and recent delays in responses from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), which approves the checklist, architects risk applications “timing out”, as seasonal species surveys can only be carried out during specific survey windows. This can create significant cash-flow issues for practices.
RSUA proposed that completion of the Biodiversity Checklist alone should be sufficient for an application to be deemed valid in this respect.
The Council agreed to review its current approach in response.
Planning performance update
The Council is producing its first Planning Performance Framework this year, which will include key performance indicators (KPIs) and other metrics.
Planning officers will notify RSUA when the Framework is published.
The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) reported planning statistics in Belfast for Q3 (October–December 2025) as follows:
These figures mean the Council in Q3 was outside the statutory target for majors (30 weeks) and locals (15 weeks).
Additional items
At our last meeting in May 2025, RSUA queried when the Council’s Building Control department would begin accepting electronic applications, particularly PDF drawings.
It was reported then that the Council had procured a new IT system for Building Control to enable this functionality, but that implementation was taking longer than anticipated.
A revised timetable for the introduction of the new system will be issued this summer, and RSUA will be notified of the system’s eventual implementation.
Last year, the Council agreed to consider providing RSUA with free access to the VU.CITY app, a 3D digital twin platform used to understand urban context, to enable demonstrations in local schools.
RSUA intends to meet directly with VU.CITY in the near future, following introductions facilitated by the Council.
Further engagement
If you have any questions or comments about this meeting, or would like to join the RSUA Belfast Local Group, please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk
