Debate contribution: Planning System: Fundamental Appraisal

Debate contribution by Ms Kellie Armstrong on 12 February 2024.

MLA

Ms Kellie Armstrong

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

12 February 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Planning System: Fundamental Appraisal

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4218249

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The joy in coming in so late in a debate means that a lot of what you had planned to say has already been said. I just want to reiterate a few things. Thanks, of course to all those who made their maiden speech. I was a lot more cowardly than you, as I have already said, in that I made my maiden speech during a debate on legislation so that I did not have to worry about the time. Well done to all, and to the new Chair of the Committee for Infrastructure, Mrs Erskine, thank you for bringing this motion forward. Like other Members, I am concerned about some of the wording. As a rural dweller, I do not want a free-for-all in building in my community. However, I agree that there has to be some sort of reform that allows for things like wind turbines, solar panels and heat pumps, which I see being turned down on a regular basis for goodness' sake, in rural areas. I am very lucky to be a coastal dweller, and I want to see more offshore and tidal options for energy being brought on board. Coming back to the motion, while the Minister is in the House, I want to talk very quickly about major developments. I have a concern about major developments, and this is in the Minister's remit. Previously, a decision was taken by the Department not to call in a major development, namely an aquarium that was going to be built in the Titanic area of Belfast. Why would that concern me? I live in Strangford, and the Ards peninsula has the Northern Ireland Aquarium, now known as Exploris. The decision was taken that it was not contrary to the regional planning strategy, Planning Policy Statement 16 (PPS16), as the proposal did not safeguard a tourism asset and did not damage rural tourism. That aquarium has never come forward: 2021 and 2022 have passed, and that aquarium still has not been built. The Northern Ireland Aquarium or Exploris is still in place. If that aquarium is built, you may as well wipe out tourism on the Ards peninsula because the four-year closure of the aquarium by Ards and North Down Borough Council had a massive impact, but that was not taken into consideration. As an outcome of today's debate on the motion, Minister, I ask that you look at the major development rules, especially with regard to rural areas and seriously consider any negative impacts. As others have said, there needs to be reform of the planning system. I am not going to kick all the planners out there because many of us have colleagues who are councillors and sit on planning committees. They do what they can with the tools that they are provided with. It is quite simple: the tools are not good enough. Statutory consultees are my bugbear with anything to do with planning. I believe, as was said by the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, that mandatory time frames for responses should be brought forward, and that if those statutory consultees — perhaps, Minister, you will consider this — do not respond by a certain date or within x number of weeks, it is presumed that they have given approval, and the responsibility lies with them and not with the Department. I would like to see something done about statutory consultees. Others have mentioned local development plans. Honestly. On 1 April 2015, this place handed over planning to our council colleagues, and they have worked so hard. However, since 1 April 2015, two local development plans have been introduced in Northern Ireland. Why is it taking so long? I seriously ask that the Minister considers putting a time limit on them. Our rural and urban communities deserve to see those plans. There is another issue. The motion mentions the Programme for Government, and I remind all in the House that, in 'New Decade, New Approach', we agreed to a housing outcome in the next Programme for Government. That has not been put into play, and I have seen no system that outlines what that housing outcome will be. I imagine that it will be for the Communities Minister to take forward. However, without that housing outcome, what are we going to say in the Programme for Government when it comes to building? Not everything is about housing, but I sit on the Committee for Communities, and housing is a big part of what I am interested in. When I look at the issues for housing when it comes to planning, I see delays and no prioritisation for social housing. We do not even have targets through the local development plans or in local council areas for social planning. When the motion talks about older people and people with disabilities, as it should, we should add the need for social housing across Northern Ireland. With over 45,500 people in Northern Ireland languishing on the Housing Executive's waiting list, it is beyond time that we have more money pumped into housing to enable housing planning to come forward a lot quicker. Housing, building and all those wonderful things that are impacted on by planning do have an economic impact across our communities. There is an economic protection role to play. If we look at economic development, and I am thinking about colleagues on the Committee for the Economy and the Minister for the Economy, I am watching construction workers —

— leave Northern Ireland. Minister, can you help with that?

924 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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