RSUA’s Antrim and Newtownabbey Local Group today met with Sharon Mossman, Deputy Director of Planning and Building Control for that area’s Borough Council, to discuss issues and concerns relating to the planning process.
Sharon was joined by Head of Planning Development Management Barry Diamond and Local Development Plan and Enforcement Manager Simon Thompson.
Local Development Plan (LDP)
The Council adopted its Plan Strategy in July 2025 and is now actively assessing applications against it. Work has now begun on the draft Local Policies Plan (LPP), which formally entered its next stage on 21 November 2025.
The plan will set out local site-specific proposals including zonings, environmental designations and local transport routes. Over the following year, a range of topics will be brought forward for stakeholder workshops and Councillors’ consideration ahead of public consultation in 2026/2027.
In addition, the Council has issued a Call for Sites exercise, running for 12 weeks from 24 November 2025 to 19 February 2026. It has also prepared supplementary planning guidance on affordable housing, which is due to be published in early 2026.
The Council’s revised timetable for the LDP, published this month, can be accessed here.
Advance notice of policy changes
RSUA requested that the Council provide advance notice of any policy changes prior to the implementation of the LDP or its constituent parts, to ensure that applications submitted in the interim are not invalidated once the plan(s) comes into effect.
The Council responded that it would give applicants every opportunity to explain how applications submitted under the previous policies comply with the new Plan Strategy and LPP. It also confirmed that it would be happy to communicate any changes to RSUA members, provided they supply their contact details in advance.
Planning Application Validation Checklist
The Council has drafted its Planning Application Validation Checklist and, on 13 November 2025, launched a nine-week consultation on it, with responses due by 16 January 2026.
The Council stated that it plans to introduce the Checklist following consideration by its Planning Committee around April 2026. The Checklist is proposed to include a basic requirements section followed by technical assessments and a third section covering common application types.
The Council also aims to introduce a six-week prior notice requirement for submissions of major applications, while for local applications a two-week notice period is planned to apply.
Challenge of seasonal surveys
RSUA members emphasised that the Council should avoid requesting all information and reports at the outset of an application where this would be unrealistic. This was considered particularly important for seasonal biodiversity surveys (e.g. for bats), as the limited availability of ecologists could otherwise cause delays.
The Council responded that their Checklist would not accept preliminary ecological assessments (PEAs) in these circumstances but emphasised that it is increasingly facilitating conversations in the background, such as Pre-Application Discussions (PADs) with applicants and discussions with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).
The Council also noted that NIEA’s Natural Environment Division (NED) may be considering issuing standing advice on bat surveys, specifically regarding the requirement to consult on a survey carried out by a suitably qualified ecologist. Officers recommended that the RSUA might consider engaging with the NI Executive on the matter of seasonal surveys, particularly in relation to NED.
Planning performance update
The Council’s performance data as per the Department for Infrastructure’s (DfI) annual planning statistics, issued on 26 June 2025, was recorded as follows:
The Council reported that it was meeting its processing target times and RSUA members agreed that the planning system was quick and easy to interact with.
It was also stated that the Council was not experiencing staffing challenges, was receiving a healthy number of applications for vacant posts and that its recruitment apprenticeship scheme through DfI was progressing well.
Wastewater capacity constraints
Some councils are now adopting a more flexible approach regarding wastewater capacity constraints by allowing “negative conditions” in planning approvals. This enables developers to proceed while still addressing water connection issues at a later stage.
The Council stated that it was among the planning authorities to adopt negative conditions but noted that, going forward, it is unlikely to sanction conditions that allow for partial development.
RSUA agreed to forward our proposed wording for negative conditions as submitted to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council in April 2025.
Further engagement
The meeting concluded with RSUA and the Council agreeing that it had been a productive session and that engagement would continue.
If you have any questions or comments about the meeting, or would like to join the RSUA Antrim and Newtownabbey Local Group, please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk
