HC Deb 09 June 2004 vol 422 cc451-3W
David Burnside

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Planning Service has taken over the past five years to ensure that planning permissions are adhered to during the construction of buildings in each local government district. [176304]

Angela Smith

It is not Planning Service practice routinely to inspect all development after planning permission is granted and where inspections are carried out priority would be given to controversial proposals.

However, where Planning Service establishes or is advised that there is a breach of condition attached to a planning permission, action will be taken to regularise the breach where appropriate.

David Burnside

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications for planning permission have been submitted to the Planning Service in Northern Ireland in each local government district in each of the last five years; and how many of these applicants have subsequently been advised to submit retrospective planning applications following rejection of the initial application. [176305]

Angela Smith

Planning Service's current records have only been kept by council area since 2000. The number of planning applications submitted to Planning Service during the last four years is set out in the table.

Council

area

2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04
Antrim 824 825 1,064 1,489
Ards 986 1,052 1,247 1,201
Armagh 1,162 1,322 1,258 1,502
Ballymena 870 908 1,164 1,538
Ballymoney 503 568 641 869
Banbridge 872 963 1,325 1,664
Belfast 2,332 2,573 2,361 2,624
Carrickfergus 298 302 313 354
Castlereagh 556 576 572 583
Coleraine 838 1,023 1,030 1,225
Cookstown 761 737 845 1,140

Council

area

2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04
Craigavon 1,011 973 1,147 1,211
Derry 923 932 951 1,072
Down 1,256 1,322 1,541 1,346
Dungannon 1,128 1,182 1,345 1,491
Fermanagh 1,338 1,292 1,564 1,947
Larne 364 362 369 432
Limavady 458 464 542 705
Lisburn 1,160 1,339 1,487 1,658
Magherafelt 812 973 1,118 1,544
Moyle 366 437 424 505
Newry and Mourne 1,954 2,066 2,368 3,148
Newtownabbey 567 662 688 660
North
Down 726 758 758 871
Omagh 1,042 1,037 1,103 1,412
Strabane 584 633 686 869
Totals 23,691 25,281 27,911 33,060

It is not Planning Service's policy to advise applicants to submit retrospective planning applications following rejection of the initial application. In addition, Planning Service does not record separate information on retrospective planning applications. As this information is not routinely collected, it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

David Burnside

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many enforcement actions have been undertaken by the Planning Service in Northern Ireland over the past five years in each local government district; and what the results were in each case. [176306]

Angela Smith

Although statistical records have been maintained by the Planning Service since 1999, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of enforcement statistics by local government district. Additionally, the recorded data do not hold individual records of the results in each case, and this information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Presented below is the total number of enforcement cases for each year since 1999 and the number of Enforcement Notices issued.

Cases investigated Enforcement

Notices issued

2003 1,876 56
2002 1,665 40
2001 3,800 50
2000 3,500 54
1999 2,678 82