Councillors express reservations over planning review

A Council commissioned ‘Independent Planning Review of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Planning Service’ has been made public.

The move followed a proposal by Cllr Gary Donnelly (Independent), passed unanimously at the recent Governance and Strategic Planning committee meeting.

Testy exchanges over council's 'planning review' status

'Proposing to discuss review in ‘confidential business' doesn't sends out proper message' - Cllr Gary Donnelly

The ‘Independent Planning Review of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Planning Service’ was carried out by Arloesi Planning.

It was an “independent assessment of the relevance of the findings and recommendations of the 2022 Audit Office and Public Accounts committee reports to the delivery of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s planning service”.

The review provided an analysis of “stakeholder feedback and performance compared to other NI Planning authorities” and concluded with 12 recommendations.

The review’s authors said: “[It] makes 12 recommendations that would seek to improve the delivery of and confidence in the planning service in Derry City and Strabane District Council.

“If these recommendations are implemented it is considered that Derry City and Strabane District Council planning service would be enhanced, as would stakeholder satisfaction and confidence.”

In response to the review, Cllr Donnelly , tabled a proposal, which was seconded by Cllr Shaun Harkin.

It read: “Council notes the detailed and complex report on how planning is operating in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area and thanks the consultants Arloesi Planning for such a comprehensive report.

“Given its complexity and importance, this Council agrees to finalising the report until stakeholders have been consulted and their comments have been considered and, if appropriate, incorporated into the final publication.

“Furthermore, given the high levels of public mistrust in our planning service, this Council will invite stakeholders to hear their concerns and solutions on how to rebuild public trust in this Council’s planning service.”

Cllr Donnelly said he had major concerns about recommendation number three in the review, particularly its reference to an “enabling” rather than a “regulatory” approach to planning.

The recommendation said: “Derry City and Strabane District Council should support and embed an enabling (rather than regulatory) mindset and should ensure the planning service is outcome-focused and customer-focused.”

Cllr Donnelly said: “This recommendation reinforces the drift of planning further towards a market-driven, neo-liberal approach.

“Economic and developer-led interests are important but they should not take priority over the needs we represent and the protection of the environment.

“Economic growth at all costs is not a sustainable model for our planning service, as the disasters in Mobuoy and Lough Neagh would testify. I would have confidence in the collective ability and voice of groups like The Gathering to express why our planning system is broken and what needs to be done to address such dire levels of mistrust.”

Cllr Donnelly said the review downplayed the real extent of how the planning system was “failing our citizens”.

He added: “For me, public mistrust is the biggest issue the Council needs to address. 79% of those providing input felt our planning service never or only occasionally delivered on the key priorities of our citizens.

“When we consider these include: sustainable development, citizen well-being,  honesty, transparency, integrity and accountability, surely we need to take a closer look at why so many people have this perception, particularly among stakeholders.

“It rightly highlights a worry that 22% of participants believe the planning system is broken beyond repair but puts a positive spin that over 70% feel the serious failures of our planning service can be addressed. That could be accused of stretching.”

Cllr Christopher Jackson (Sinn Féin) said he had a few concerns around the process, which he would have preferred to raise in ‘confidential business’.

Acknowledging the review was “independent”, Cllr Jackson said he would like more on a few of the recommendations “including the principle of taking this decision now”.

He said: “When we embarked on this journey, we saw it as two-phase. The first phase was that we would carry out the review of Council’s planning service. We would assess it against the Audit Office report and we would have widespread consultation.

“The second phase was that Council would seek further support with the implementation of any changes.

“We specifically said we would take a pause at this stage and look at appointing somebody with a track record on implementing change. I haven’t got that level of detail so we are being asked to take a decision to appoint an independent consultant to support Council with that change implementation.

“It may be appropriate but we are investing a significant amount of ratepayers’ money to improve the service and I want to make sure it is value for ratepayers and we are appointing the best people for the role. I am just not comfortable at this stage to be signing off on that recommendation.”

While he had reservations about endorsing all of the recommendations of the review at the committee meeting, Cllr Jackson welcomed the review’s recommendation of a Developer Forum which would hold twice yearly meetings with agents, officers and lead members “to discuss service delivery and identify areas for improvement by all parties”.

He said: “That forum could be key to selling this part of the world, to attract investment, to create jobs, to deliver homes. It is ridiculous we have got a housing crisis and at the same time we have vast swathes of land that are zoned for housing.”

Seconding Cllr Donnelly’s motion, Cllr Shaun Harkin said he would not be happy to endorse the Review at the Governance and Strategic Planning meeting.

“I feel we need to have more input and by signing off on it we are basically agreeing to it and then it moves forward. The point of Cllr Donnelly’s motion is to actually invite participation before we fully ratify the review and move on and implement the recommendations.

“Item Three stands out as a huge concern because it says we should develop an enabling culture rather than a regulatory one.

“We have water pollution issues here in the North and right across the world because of deregulation and after the disaster of Lough Neagh and Mobuoy, to say publicly we are going to encourage people not to be regulatory minded is a serious issue.

“I think it is dangerous language to say we need an enabling culture not a regulatory one because we want to say to the world we are open for business because that has driven exploitation of our environment,” said Cllr Harkin, who added: “I don’t think the reason Ulster University has not invested in Derry is because we haven’t had an enabling culture. 

“I don’t think the fact we don’t have the roads and rail infrastructure that we need has anything to do with our Council not having an enabling culture. 

“I don’t think Invest NI not investing in Derry and the North West is because there is not an enabling culture here.

“Nonsense. That has to do with sectarianism and 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement there is still a mindset in Stormont that has continued to disinvest in the North West.

“It has nothing to do with an enabling culture that our planning committee or planning service doesn’t promote. I think that is the wrong way to look at why there is no investment here. These are political decisions made over and over again.”

Cllr Donnelly’s motion was defeated.