Planning job cuts could hit economy

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Granting of planning permission for new developments in Ards could be further delayed, with economic consequences for the area, if staffing levels at the Divisional Planning Office are cut by over one third, the Chair of Ards Borough Councils External Affairs and Planning Committee has warned.

Councillor Tom Hamilton was speaking after it was announced the Planning Service plans to axe 270 across Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) is planning to protest outside the Downpatrick planning office at lunchtime today (Thursday).

A NIPSA spokesperson confirmed the Department of Finance and Personnel had refused to make up the shortfall in funding from planning fees, because of the current economic downturn.

As a result, Planning Service has announced that 270 of its staff will have to be deployed outside the agency, he continued.

If they canf find other posts, they could be made redundant.

This is despite the Northern Ireland Audit Office finding that staff have case loads higher than anywhere else in the United Kingdom, the trade union spokesperson said.

If these cuts are implemented, planning staff here will have unprecedented case loads, which will have a huge adverse impact on the economy, given the current economic crisis, particularly in the construction industry.

If Planning Service was to cut such a large number of officials, Mr Hamilton underlined, they would have to ensure the service itself was not adversely affected.

Granting of planning permission takes longer in Northern Ireland than in the rest of the United Kingdom, and I would not want to see anything which would slow it down even further, he said.

There are potential problems for builders and developers getting planning permission.

Paul Carson, Managing Director of local planning consultants, Strategic Planning, claimed Planning Service was already ineffective in dealing with planning applications.

If these jobs go, he warned, there could be further economic problems.