Some housing associations are on the brink of walking away from valuable social housing projects in the borough due to major delays in winning planning approval.
And the blame is being laid firmly at the door of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).
As part of planning considerations carried out by ABC Council’s own in-house team, the NIEA is one of a number of statutory agencies which is consulted before a decision on whether or not to approve an application can be made.
But the performance of the NIEA to date has been described as “abysmal” by one local councillor.
And another went so far as to say some housing associations were ready to quit plans for the borough due to the current situation.
The matter came up for debate when a letter was received from the NIEA and considered at the monthly meeting of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.
In it, the NIEA essentially said it would strive to do better – while blaming “staff capacity” among the reasons for the delays in responding to planning applications.
The council had written to NIEA chief executive David Reid, with a response – detailing a five-point improvement plan – received from the director of the Natural Environment Division, Liz Loughran.
She wrote: “The primary reason for NIEA delay in responding to planning applications is that the number of complex planning consultations receipted exceeds the capacity that staff in post have to respond. Contributing factors include the number of re-consultations received, the quality of information submitted, and the level of non-statutory work associated with the delivery of our planning role and responsibilities.”
The improvement plan for performance and service covers five strands: technical advice and guidance, caseload management, monitoring and reporting on performance, process and IT systems, and communication and stakeholder engagement.
Current measures being undertaken include a review of staff resourcing and vacancy management, as “we recognise that this is one of the key areas in reducing the ongoing caseload levels”.
Additionally, there will be a “review and update of internal processes, procedures and guidance”, as well as “analysis of consultations being receipted to inform targeted measures to reduce the level of re-consultation and improve the quality of information being submitted with a consultation”.
The NIEA will also now seek “engagement with other jurisdictions to see if any lessons can be learned from our counterparts in relation to how they operate within their planning systems”.
Councillors hope that the measures outlined will bear fruit as the cost to the borough would be too great.
Sinn Féin’s Kevin Savage said: “Hopefully this will lead to a change in NIEA response times to planning applications, because to date it has been abysmal to say the least.
“I have corresponded with them many, many times and it’s more or less, ‘go away, we’ll get round to it once we get a chance to’.
“I really hope this is a change in attitude from them. There are some significant planning applications that this council has that are being held up by their responses and we need them back as soon as possible.”
DUP Alderman Gareth Wilson said he had spoken to housing association groups at the weekend who were “concerned about NIEA consultation times”.
“Believe it or not, they are holding up social housing projects in this borough,” he added.
Having also received a presentation at the monthly meeting by the Northern Ireland Housing Association, Alderman Wilson said it was evident to all that there was “pressure in the borough” for new homes.
“NIEA are technically sitting on a lot of applications that do need resolved and that would unlock a lot of potentially new housing solutions for people in the borough,” he stated.
Alderman Wilson said the council needed to continue to “keep pressure on NIEA to deliver on those promises in their letter”, adding: “Let’s hope it does bring some progress.”
Sinn Féin Councillor Mary O’Dowd painted a stark picture if the situation did not change, after explaining how she had received an email from the chief executive of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations which told of dire consequences.
“There’s housing associations actually planning on pulling out of developments in the area because of the hold-up with NIEA,” she said.
It was, she added, “gravely concerning”, considering “this is social housing which we all need in our areas”.
