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Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Logo

New Planning Portal

The Department for Infrastructure and Terraquest (the contracted supplier) in collaboration with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and 9 other Councils, have developed a new IT system to deliver planning services across Northern Ireland.  You can view the new planning portal here.

The new Regional Planning Portal is now live and will modernise and digitally transform the way in which planning services and Regional Property Certificates are delivered. 

The new system will deliver a range of benefits to all those who interact with the planning service, our Customers, Agents, Consultees and our Planning Staff. Some of the benefits are set out below.

Key Benefits

  • Submission of applications online
  • Linked front and back-office allowing for improved efficiency by streamlining administrative processes
  • Improved validation and workflows to better manage workloads
  • Improved Consultee interface
  • Better user experience from an intuitive modern interface, making it easier for users to engage with the planning process
  • Introduction of mobile working technologies to improve the efficiency of gathering and collating on the ground information
  • Improved application tracking and notification facilities for parties interested in an application.
  • If you wish to make comment on a planning application you can do this by email to planning@antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk or by post to:

Planning Section
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council
Mossley Mill
Carnmoney Road North
BT36 5QA

Planning Overview

Powers Include:

  • Preparing and adopting local development plan which will set out planning policies and proposals that shape how the Council area developes in the future, how land should be used and how neighbourhoods could be improved.

  • Making decisions on the majority of planning applications.

  • Investigating alleged breaches of planning control and determining what enforcement action should be taken.

 

How Does The System Work?

The current development plans and planning policies for the Borough were prepared by the Department of the Environment (DOE). They comprise the Antrim Area Plan 1984-2001 (including alterations 1, 2 and 3), the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015 and operational planning policies contained in the DOE’s suite of planning policy statements and other planning policy documents.

We will prepare a new Local Development Plan to replace the existing development plans and operational planning policies. The new plan will have two elements. Firstly a Plan Strategy must be prepared and then adopted by the full Council. This will be followed by the preparation of a Local Policies Plan which must also be adopted by the full Council.

Planning applications are categorised as local, major and regionally significant, with the Council responsible for determining all local and major applications. The Council’s Planning Committee will consider and make decisions on these planning applications.  In reaching its decision the Committee must have regard to the local development plan.

The Council has planning enforcement powers to enable the investigation and resolution of cases where planning laws and procedures have not been observed. 

The Planning Committee is made up of 12 Councillors from the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council. It is anticipated that it will determine about 30% of all applications submitted to the Council.  The remainder will be decided by Planning Officers through a Scheme of Delegation. A copy of the Scheme is available from the Planning Administration Team on 0300 123 6677 or available to download below.  The applications to be considered are set out in the agenda which is available beforehand. 

Planning Protocol including Scheme of Delegation

Useful Contacts

Planning Section

Mossley Mill,
Carnmoney Road North,
Newtownabbey,
BT36 5QA

Tel: 0300 123 6677

Email Planning Section