The Department of the Environment Northern Ireland (DoENI) has issued new policy ‘Enabling Development for the Conservation of Significant Places’, including a best practice document to accompany this.
The DoENI writes:
‘Enabling Development’ sets out when developers may get planning permission, contrary to published planning policy, the justification being that it provides a vital source of funding to help restore a heritage asset, such as a historic building, in the public interest.
The planning policy allows for enabling developments that are contrary to planning policy, it nevertheless contains safeguards to ensure the approved development will not harm the heritage value of the significant place or its setting.
In announcing the policy Mark H Durkan said: ‘Northern Ireland is blessed with a wealth of significant places but many are under threat because of the inherent difficulty in securing funding for their conservation. Enabling Development can make good this funding shortfall or ‘conservation deficit’ and help ensure that these important places are preserved in the public interest.
‘Schemes may take the form of a small residential development or other commercial proposal in the grounds of an endangered historic building, where the funds generated are used to finance the conservation of the building, securing its future for generations to come.’
The Minister continued: ‘The policy provides guidance on how such proposals will be assessed, bringing more certainty and simplicity to owners, developers, planners and all those with an interest in the conservation of significant places. It is an important part of my vision for a better environment and a stronger economy.’
Planning Policy Statement 23 ‘Enabling Development for the Conservation of Significant Places’
