New Planning Portal
The new Regional Planning IT system is now live. To access the new system, click here.
For further information and to watch demonstration videos, please visit: www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/resident/planning/new-planning-portal.
**IMPORTANT NOTICE – PLANNING**
Development Management
A full planning application service including the inspection of sites is operated in line with prevailing coronavirus restrictions. This is kept under review as public health advice is updated.
Your safety and that of Council officers is a priority and your co-operation in facilitating inspections is appreciated. Should access to land that we need to visit be restricted an officer of the Unit will make contact to arrange an inspection by appointment.
Applications should continue where possible to be posted to the Unit. Where an application is brought to the building due, for example, to size a receipt will be posted. No cash payments will be taken. We accept payments by cheque or bankers draft, BACS transfer and there is also the facility to make card payments over the phone.
The Planning Unit would ask that you continue to seek planning advice by telephone, mail or e-mail. On request and where available officers of the Unit will facilitate meetings remotely.
The majority of documents relating to the processing of applications are available online on the Planning Portal. Our public facing service is limited to the inspection of files and documents, recognising there may be circumstances where a person has limited access to the Planning Portal or they need to inspect drawings or documents on the paper file.
Planning Committee meetings will take place on the first Monday of the month. The Schedule of Applications for meetings will be posted to the Council website in the normal way and will be viewable here. Remote arrangements for public participation in the meeting remain in place.
The Protocol for the Operation of the Planning Committee is subject to periodic review, is amended and outlines the practical handling arrangements for the operation of the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Councils Planning Committee This document is available to view here. In accordance with the amended Protocol, the meeting dates and times along with the schedule of applications to be determined by the Committee will be posted to the Council’s website at least 5 days in advance of the meeting.
Contacting us
Any queries should be directed to the Planning Inbox at planning@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk . This mailbox is being monitored on a daily basis and queries will be responded to as quickly as possible in the current situation. We appreciate your understanding on the matter.
General Planning Queries and Advice
With effect from Monday 19 July 2021 the Planning Unit will be making a change to current arrangements for dealing with general planning queries and advice.
If you are seeking advice about Development Plan, an Enforcement issue or a planning application in progress your call will be directed to the relevant team or person in accordance with current arrangements.
For all other queries that require you to have access to a planning officer or if you are seeking general planning advice an officer from the Business Support Unit will still seek to deal with your call. However, where the officer cannot assist then a scheduled time slot will be allocated for a Duty Planning Officer to call you back. This will ensure you receive timely and appropriate advice at a specified time within a maximum of two working days of your initial contact with the Planning Unit. It is therefore important that you provide a suitable contact number and are available at the specified time.
The Unit will continue to monitor the effectiveness of this new arrangement and will review on an ongoing basis in light of experience and customer feedback.
Local Development Plan
Department for Infrastructure Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, Adoption of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Plan Strategy (s12) Direction 2023
Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 [‘the Act’] and Planning (Local Development Plan) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015
Following the Independent Examination of the Local Development Plan draft Plan Strategy (April – May 2022) the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) issued a Direction on 28 June 2023 under Section 12 (1) (b) of the Act directing Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council to adopt the draft Plan Strategy with the modifications specified in the Direction.
The DfI Direction (with all required modifications) and the report of the Planning Appeals Commission Independent Examination are available at the following links:
For a copy of the PAC report please click here
For a copy of the DfI direction please click here
For a copy of Minor Errors with the DfI Direction please click here
If you have any queries on the modifications in the DfI Direction you can contact the LDP team by email at LDP@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk or by calling 028 9244 7300
In accordance with Regulation 21 of the Planning (Local Development Plan) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015, the draft Plan Strategy and its accompanying documents are available to view online in the Submission Documents Library.
If you are unable to view the documents online, these are available for inspection at the Planning Unit, Civic Headquarters, Lagan Valley Island, Lisburn BT27 4RL during normal office hours (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm) or you can contact the LDP team by email at LDP@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk or by calling 028 9244 7300