Fresh planning appeal requests for major schemes from Stormont are now “on hold” until a report into a Co Tyrone gold mine is completed or more resources become available, it can be revealed.
Dalradian’s plans for a major mine at Curraghinalt were first submitted plans 2017, but have gone through various stages, appeals and inquiries.
A new public inquiry from the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) was put on hold earlier this year, due to confusion relating to two licence applications over water abstraction and storage.
It was due to start in September, but has now been rescheduled for January 2025.
However, the PAC now says that due to the resources being directed towards the Dalradian Conjoined Inquiry “all other requests referred by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) will be put on hold pending completion of the Dalradian report or until additional resources become available”.
“The commission has kept DfI fully informed of the position,” it has said.
And on general appeal delays it says “it is expected that poor timelines will persist until all historical cases have been disposed, the oldest of which should be issued by the end of this calendar year”.
Meanwhile, the Audit Office says it is undertaking a fresh review of the PAC.
It says the study “will consider how the landscape has changed in recent years for the Planning Appeals Commission and the extent that this, along with other issues, has contributed to significant backlog and delay in this important part of its work”.
In 2022, two reports criticised elements of the wider planning system which were not working. A Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) report said Northern Ireland’s planning system is not fit for purpose and risks causing economic damage, while the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the system is “not working”.
Planners and developers have been critical of the PAC, particularly over the time taken to deal with appeals.
A report from the PAC last month said while its performance is “not where it needs to be” it’s outlined an action plan to address developer and user issues.
The commission has reiterated its position that it has lost many of its more experienced staff, and that around 75% of commissioners are “new to their roles”.
The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) has provided £500,000 of additional resourcing to the Planning Appeals Commission each year since 2021.
Now, a new annual review from the PAC said while it has increased the number of decisions it has made, year-on-year, it failed to meet its targets on timelines.
“We have disposed of 213 cases compared with 189 cases last year,” it said.
The PAC has previously told developers it was “experiencing significant resourcing pressures”.
Recently, RenewableNI said it was told the PAC won’t look at fresh appeals for renewable schemes in the system until 2025/26.
In its review, the PAC says it doesn’t expect to be “fully operational” until 2026/27.
“We are also in continued discussions with relevant government departments in relation to resourcing referred work given current capacity constraints,” it says.
“The commission has increased the numbers of decisions delivered year-on-year. We hope that we will continue to see improvements in productivity in the coming years.
“There have been many personnel changes within the commission, and we have continued to
operate without the full complement of commissioners, and indeed administrative staff. Efforts are still in hand to increase resources within the commission.”