On Thursday 11 September 2025, members of the RSUA Lisburn and Castlereagh Local Group met with Conor Hughes, Head of Planning and Capital Development for that area’s City Council, to discuss issues and concerns related to the planning process.
Conor, who attended virtually, was joined in the room by a team of senior planning officers who hosted the session.
Local Development Plan
The Council adopted its Plan Strategy in September 2023, outlining the strategic direction for the council area over the next 15 years. This Plan Strategy is the first document in the two-stage process of developing the LDP, with the second stage being the Local Policies Plan (LPP), which sets out the Council’s land use proposals for future development.
The Council informed RSUA members that it aims to have the LPP drafted by Quarter 3 of 2026, after which a public consultation and an independent examination will be carried out to assess its soundness.
The planners expressed their hope that the full LDP will be implemented by Quarter 3 or 4 of 2028.
Advance notice of policy changes
RSUA members requested that the Council provide advance notice of any policy changes ahead of the full implementation of the LDP, to ensure that applications submitted in the interim are not rendered invalid once the plan comes into effect.
The Council responded that, in the first instance, while the LPP is still subject to independent examination, the policies in it would serve more as guidance.
After these policies are implemented fully, the Council said it hopes to have improved communication with architects to the point that complications would be rare.
Planning Application Validation Checklist
Following a feedback session with agents on 19 September 2025, the Council informed RSUA that its draft Planning Application Validation Checklist is now out for public consultation on its website.
The Validation Checklist will make the submission of additional information reports mandatory. The Council stated that the Checklist is intended to ensure applicants provide the correct information upfront, thereby helping to speed up processing times.
Challenge of seasonal surveys
RSUA members emphasised that the Council should avoid requesting all information reports at the outset of an application where this would be unrealistic. This was considered important in relation to seasonal biodiversity surveys, as the limited availability of ecologists could result in delays to applications.
The Council acknowledged this point but responded that such surveys cannot be addressed through negative conditions.
More generally, the Council assured us that it will adopt a pragmatic approach and was happy to meet RSUA to discuss the possibility of introducing standing advice to address this challenge.
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 has set an improved target of 16 weeks for processing local applications, and every officer is expected to plan their work to this timeframe on a monthly basis.
RSUA was told there is a particular focus on progressing older applications. The Council’s ambition is to reduce the average processing time to 22 weeks by the end of 2025 and to ensure that all applications submitted in 2023 or earlier are cleared.
Planning staff shortage
Following a period of planning officer shortages, the Council said it has invested in staffing and undertaken internal reorganisation. This has brought in additional personnel and only a small number of senior management posts remain vacant.
NI Water 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 addressing water connection issues at a later stage.
At our meeting, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council stated that it is willing to consider the use of negative conditions on a case-by-case basis, but only where an engineering solution has already been identified.
Planning Portal – identifying approved drawings
RSUA suggested that the Council should improve the functionality of the Planning Portal by introducing a dedicated section for stamped and approved drawings. This would allow interested parties to easily verify that what is being built aligns with the approved plans.
The Council agreed that this was a positive suggestion and said it would review it.
The meeting finished with the Council proposing quarterly meetings going forward to update RSUA on planning performance and the progress of ongoing improvements.
If you have any questions or comments about this meeting, or would like to join the RSUA Lisburn and Castlereagh Local Group, please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk
