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The new Regional Development Strategy (RDS) published in March 2012 hardly raised a paragraph of comment in the local press. Yet it will determine the shape, size and function of our settlements across Northern Ireland for the next quarter of a century. All policy and plans drawn up in the future must be in ‘general conformity’ with the RDS and it will be a ‘material consideration’ in the determination of all planning applications.
It may take precedence over existing Development Plans and policies particularly where the new guidance is materially different and of significance to a development proposal.
The 11 new Councils, which will take on new functions such as urban regeneration and planning from 2015, must abide by the RDS’s guidance. If they don’t, their plans and planning application decisions will be called in by the Department of the Environment for decision making at central level.
You can read the full article as a downloadable pdf here.