Northern Ireland continues marching into the future looking backwards with further reductions in renewable energy planning applications The provisional Northern Ireland Planning Development Management Statistics July – September 2014 is published today. The report shows the number of renewable energy applications received in the second quarter of 2014/15 has reduced by just over one fifth (21%) to 120 compared to the same period last year. This follows on from quarter one when numbers were down by almost a half (49%) from the previous year’s quarter and continues a downward trend in such applications from the peak levels witnessed in 2011/12. This is despite overall numbers of planning applications beginning to rise again, with an 8% increase recorded in quarter two. The renewable energy reductions are being driven by falling numbers of single wind turbine applications, down by around one third in the quarter to 91, whilst only one application for a wind farm was received in this latest quarter compared to five in same period last year. These decreases, however, have been partially offset by increases in applications for solar panels, biomass/anaerobic digestors and hydroelectricity schemes, although numbers involved here are on a much smaller scale compared to the single wind turbines. In addition to fewer renewable energy applications being received, a reducing proportion of these are being granted with their approval rate in quarter two now standing at 82%. This is down five percentage points on the equivalent quarter last year and 10 percentage points compared to the same period in 2012/13 when an approval rate of 92% was recorded. The key points to note in the bulletin are: 1. Applications received • DOE Planning received 2,954 planning applications in quarter two 2014/15, an 8% increase from the equivalent quarter last year (2,728) and the first increase recorded in this quarter since 2009/10 when a small increase of nine cases was observed. • Over three quarters of applications received (78%) were for full planning permission, two percentage points higher than quarter two of 2013/14 (76%). 2. Applications Decided • Planning issued decisions on 2,892 applications in quarter two of 2014/15, a minor reduction of 14 cases compared to the same quarter last year (2,906). • As with planning applications received, applications decided have been on a downwards trend since 2007/08, but since 2011/12 the rate of decrease has been slowing and now appears to be levelling out. • Full planning permission accounts for over three quarters of all decisions issued (77%). . 3. Applications Approved • Overall, 93% of decisions issued for planning applications in quarter two of 2014/15 were approved, one percentage point lower than for the same period last year (94%). • The approval rate was lowest for outline planning permission at 73%, which was markedly lower than the other main categories, which ranged from 90% for ‘consent to display’ to 99% for ‘listed building consent’. 4. Applications Received for Residential Development • Approaching three in every five applications (56%) received by the Department in quarter two of 2014/15 (1,647) were for residential development. • The number of residential applications received in quarter two 2014/15 is 13% higher than those received in the same period 2013/14 (1,453). This is the second consecutive quarterly rise this financial year, following a 20% increase in quarter one, and is the first quarter two rise to occur since 2009/10. This may, in part be linked to improving economic conditions. 5. Applications Decided for Residential Development • Of the 2,892 decisions issued in quarter two of 2014/15, almost three fifths (57%) were for residential development (1,649), one percentage point higher than the proportion of such decisions issued in the equivalent quarter last year (56%). • In comparison to quarter two of 2013/14, the number of decisions issued for residential applications has increased 1%, from 1,628 in quarter two 2013/14 to 1,649 in the equivalent quarter 2014/15. • Residential applications in rural and urban areas have both increased, in comparison to the same quarter in 2013/14. In urban areas, however, the increase was markedly higher at 28% compared to only 5% in rural areas. • The approval rate for residential development was eight percentage points higher overall in urban areas (97%) than in rural areas (89%), and was consistently higher for these areas across all of the main residential application types. 6. Renewable Energy Applications • The number of renewable energy applications continued to drop from 151 applications received in quarter two 2013/14 to 120 in the equivalent quarter 2014/15; a decrease of just over one fifth (21%). • Single wind turbines decreased by almost one third, from 133 in quarter two of 2013/14 to 91 in the same period of 2014/15. During this quarter, single wind turbines accounted for just over three quarters (76%) of all renewable energy applications received. Single wind turbines have accounted for the majority of renewable energy applications since 2002/03. • There has been a substantial decline in the number of wind farm applications received, from five in quarter two 2013/14, to one in quarter two 2014/15. During the same period, however, the number of solar panel applications doubled from nine to 18. • The number of decisions issued for renewable energy applications, also decreased by over one tenth (12%), from 156 in quarter two 2013/14, to 137 in the equivalent quarter 2014/15. • Over four fifths of renewable energy applications were approved (82%), with a similar proportion (81%) of single wind turbines approved. Both these rates were noticeably lower than in the equivalent quarter last year – 87% and 84% respectively. 7. Enforcement Statistics • During quarter two of 2014/15, there were 618 enforcement cases opened, of which 20 were classed as high priority, and 800 existing cases closed, of which 33 were classed as high priority. Compared to quarter two 2013/14, this represents a decrease of 14% for cases opened and an increase of 6% in respect of cases closed. • Of the closed cases, a third were closed (following investigation) due to no breach of planning control having occurred (260), a small decrease of 6 such cases on same period last year. Almost a quarter of cases (24%) were closed due to being remedied or resolved (188), followed by cases found to be not expedient, which represented a fifth of all cases closed (157). 8. Results for Key Performance Targets • From 2014/15, a new departmental target to reduce the number of live enforcement cases over two years old to 400 by 31st March 2015 was introduced. The number of such cases stood at 737 at end of quarter two 2014/15, a 3% reduction on the 759 cases recorded at the end of quarter one, but still 84% above target at the half way point of the year. • DOE Planning have a key commitment under the Programme for Government to ensure that in 2014/15, 90% of large scale investment (LSI) planning decisions are made within six months and applications with job creation potential are given additional weight. For the first six months of the 2014/15 year, there were 24 LSI applications where a decision was either reached or it was possible for a decision to have been reached within the six month processing target. Of these, 22, or 92%, were processed within six months. • The processing target for Local planning applications in 2014/15 is to process them to decision or withdrawal in an average of 15 weeks. In quarter two 2014/15, the average processing time for local planning applications was 16 weeks, one week higher than the target, although year-to-date performance remained better than target at 14 weeks. • A new departmental target to reduce the number of planning applications over one year old to 650 by 31 March 2015 was introduced this year. At end of quarter two 2014/15, 1,139 live applications were over 1 year old, a decrease of 6% on the previous quarter one figure but still 75% above target at the mid-point of year. 9. Results for Operational Targets • There are two annual targets for the validation of a planning application. The first is to validate 85% of applications within 6 days and the second is to validate 95% of applications within 10 days. In quarter two 2014/15, 96% of planning applications were validated within 6 days and 98% were validated within 10 days. The equivalent year-to-date figures were lower and higher at 95% and 99% respectively. • There are two annual targets for the time taken to issue a decision after the last Council consultation. The first is to issue 85% of decisions within two weeks and the second is to issue 95% of decisions within four weeks. In quarter two 2014/15, 85% of decisions were issued within two weeks of last Council consultation and 94% were issued within four weeks of last Council consultation. The equivalent year-to-date figures were both higher at 87% and 95% respectively. • There are two annual operational targets for enforcement activity. The first is for 95% of high priority cases to be discussed and certified within two working weeks. In quarter two 2014/15, 86% of high priority cases were discussed and certified within two weeks. The second is to process to a conclusion 70% of enforcement cases within 39 weeks. In quarter two 2014/15, 71% of enforcement cases were brought to a conclusion within this time period. The equivalent year-to-date figures were higher and lower at 90% and 69% respectively. • Notes to editors: • This is the latest in a regular series of Quarterly Development Management Statistics Bulletin. • There are ten performance targets covered in the report, covering Planning performance in relation to the processing of planning applications and enforcement activity. • A new classification hierarchy for Planning Applications came into effect on 1st April 2014 in advance of transfer of Planning functions to Local Government from 1 April 2015. The new categories are – Regionally Significant, Major and Local, and this is the second Development Management Bulletin in which the new categories have been reported on. Note that the new ‘Major’ category is based on a completely different definition to the previous ‘Major’ category so figures should not be compared. • The definition of large scale investment applications has been reviewed and has now been extended to include not only headquarters applications but all such applications also received in local offices and identified as such by planning staff. • Following a review of the type of application which should be reported on for the purposes of this report, Certificates of Lawful Use or Development (CLUDs), either proposed or existing, are no longer included. This is because applications for such certificates are not actual planning applications. • Planning is organised into six area offices and a Headquarters, details of which are available in appendix five of the bulletin. • The records of all applications from 1 July 2014 to 30 September 2014 were transferred in November 2014 from a live database and inspected for consistency in coding before figures were finalised for publication. • Renewable energy applications are maintained on a stand-alone database, due to difficulties in correctly classifying some types of renewable energy applications within the main Planning Portal. • Electronic copies of the ‘Planning Service Development Management Statistical Bulletin’ are available at:doeni.gov.uk/index/information/asb/statistics/planning_statistics.htm and a new companion infographics summary page can be accessed at: doeni.gov.uk/development-management-infographic-q2-2014-15.pdf Hard copies are available free of charge from: Alexandra Pauley Analytical Services Branch Department of the Environment Room 6-10 Clarence Court Adelaide Street Belfast BT2 8GB Telephone: (028) 90540907 Email: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Website: planningni.gov.uk
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 09:54:01 +0000
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