Summary
Action taken follow receipt of complaints alleging that planning authorities were failing to effectively consider transboundary impacts when screening out certain intensive agricultural developments from the need to undergo a full EIA.
Outcomes and additional information
We wrote to the Department for Infrastructure, as the body responsible for oversight of Northern Ireland’s planning system, expressing concerns about the inconsistency with which the law appeared to be applied in this area. In doing so, we recommended that the Department issue guidance to planning authorities on the correct application of screening procedures under The Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 – particularly when it comes to developments which propose to carry out activities with potential cross-border impacts.
The Department for Infrastructure complied with this recommendation, alongside highlighting several ongoing measures being taken to build capacity in the area of EIA within planning authorities. We intend to monitor the impact of these measures on the quality of decision-making on an ongoing basis.