Planning Service

The Planning Service is an executive agency within the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland and our aim is "to plan and manage development in ways which will contribute to a quality environment and seek to meet the economic and social aspirations of present and future generations". There is an increasing interest by the public in what... is happening in their area and what is proposed for the future. This interest may be centred on general development such as housing schemes, industry, roads, schools, open space or more personally focused on your own development proposal or that of one immediately adjacent to where you live. The latter often involves the building of a new home, a house extension or the introduction of change to a well established area. In considering all forms of development we seek to balance protection of the natural and man made environment by ensuring that development meets the needs of the present generation but does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This Charter Standards Statement is a declaration of our commitment to the principles of the Citizens Charter in order to raise the standards of service and make them more responsive to the needs of our customers. Our customers include not only those seeking planning permission but also those who wish to comment on what is proposed in their area. We are examining all our means of communication with a view to being more open and providing whenever possible additional information. Whatever your reasons to contact us we aim to provide a prompt, courteous, efficient and helpful service. The Charter Statement provides a summary of our main services and the standards you can expect. We are fully committed to providing a high standard of customer service by taking a professional approach to all aspects of our business. We are also committed to achieving continuous improvement in service delivery and indeed a number of continuous improvement projects are in progress. These projects and other objectives ...Read More