Lo says Planning Bill should be scrapped

Alliance Environment spokesperson Anna Lo MLA has said that the Planning Bill should be scrapped. Her comments were made after the Assembly passed a number of amendments from the DUP and Sinn Fein that could give OFMDFM extra powers to approve development in certain areas. There were also amendments to limit the ability to seek a judicial review on planning decisions.

Anna Lo MLA said:”The inclusion of the DUP and Sinn Fein amendments means that, instead of improving our planning system, this Bill will actually make it worse. The inevitable legal challenges will now mean that this Bill will be counterproductive to its original aim – to speed up the planning system.

“The Minister should scrap this Bill. It is no longer in the best interests of our planning system for it to become law. We will be better off if the Minister throws it into the bin.

“The Planning Bill was only ever going to be a stop gap piece of legislation until a number of previous laws come into effect when the new Council system begins. Northern Ireland will suffer very little impact if this Bill is ditched.

“This is bad legislation. We should not let it become law.”

ENDS