Local Development Plan 2030
The Local Development Plan is primarily about delivering sustainable development and improving the quality of life and wellbeing of communities in Mid and East Antrim.
It sets out a Spatial Growth Strategy underpinned by other strategic policies and proposals as a means of ensuring that development is high quality, meets local needs and is located in the appropriate places convenient to jobs and public services.
The Local Development Plan (LDP) will also balance competing demands ensuring that new development respects our quality landscapes and our precious natural and historic environment, all of which expresses the unique identity of our Borough and underpins our growing tourism sector.
Through guiding future development and use of land in our towns, villages and rural areas, the Local Development Plan will provide certainty as, under the new Plan-led system, it will be the first thing to be taken into account by Council when taking planning decisions.
The Local Development Plan is a powerful tool for place-shaping and will assist in the delivery of our Community Plan: ‘Putting People First’.
Adoption of Local Development Plan 2030
In accordance with Section 12 of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 and Regulation 24 of the Planning (Local Development Plan) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015, Council has adopted its Local Development Plan 2030 Plan Strategy on the 16 October 2023 following resolution by full Council.
Availability of documents
Copies of the above documents are available to view and download (free of charge) above and can also be viewed during normal office hours at our Planning Office.
The Plan Strategy (including Map Supplement) is available to purchase at a cost of £50.
Hard copies of accompanying adoption documents are available to purchase by writing to the above address, E: planning@midandeastantrim.gov.uk orT: 028 2563 3500.
Information on printing costs is available upon request.
Alternative formats
These documents can be made available in different formats upon request.
If you would like a document in another format, please contact the Local Development Plan Team at E: planning@midandeastantrim.gov.uk or T: 028 2563 3500.
If for any reason a particular alternative format cannot be met, other possible solutions will be explored.
Should you require any additional information on the Local Development Plan, please do not hesitate to contact the Local Development Plan Team on T: 028 2563 3500.
Local Development Plan Process
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Stage 1: Programme Management – Timetable 1st Revision: 26 June 2017 2nd Revision: 8 April 2019 |
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Stage 1: Preferred Options The Preferred Options Paper was published 14 June 2017 for formal consultation for a period of 12 weeks ending on 6 September 2017. The Preferred Options Paper Consultation Report was published in November 2017. |
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Stage 2: Draft Plan Strategy The draft Plan Strategy was published on 17 September 2019 and formal public consultation took place for a period of eight weeks from 16 October to 11 December 2019. |
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Stage 2: Representations to the Draft Plan Strategy Representations submitted in response to the public consultation on the draft Plan Strategy and Sustainability Appraisal were subject to eight weeks public consultation for counter representation from 31 January to 27 March 2020. |
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Stage 2: Counter Representations The period of public consultation for counter representations ran from 31 January to 27 March 2020 and was an opportunity for interested parties to comment on a site specific policy representation received during the public consultation on the draft Plan Strategy (16 October to 11 December 2019). |
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Stage 2: Schedule of Proposed Modifications The Schedule of Proposed Modifications was prepared following consideration of the representations and counter representations. It was published on 5 January 2021 and was subject to an eight-week public consultation from 8 January 2021 to 5 March 2021. You can also view the comments on the Schedule of Proposed Modifications. The Schedule of Proposed Modifications was accompanied by Addendums to the draft Sustainability Appraisal, the draft Habitats Regulations Assessment, the draft Rural Needs Impact Assessment and the draft Equality (Section 75) Screening Report. These documents are available to view on our draft Plan Strategy and supporting documents page. |
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Stage 2: Submission of documents to the Department for Infrastructure In accordance with Regulation 20 of the Planning (Local Development Plan) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015, we submitted the draft Plan Strategy and supporting documents to the Department for Infrastructure on 29 March 2021. |
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Stage 2: Independent Examination of draft Plan Strategy. The Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) completed the Independent Examination of the Council’s draft Plan Strategy which took place between 6 June and 11 August 2022. |
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Stage 2: Planning Appeals Commission Report and Department for Infrastructure Direction The PAC Report was sent to the Department for Infrastructure on 28 February 2023, and on 30 June 2023 the Department for Infrastructure directed the Council to adopt the draft Plan Strategy with the modifications set out in their Direction. |
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Stage 2: Screening of Modifications Schedule 2 of the Department for Infrastructure’s Direction outlined 55 modifications which were considered necessary to make the Plan sound. These modifications were a combination of the Council’s proposed modifications (January 2021), along with new modifications considered necessary following the conclusion of the IE process. In line with the PAC Report, DfI has specified wording in the Direction, where necessary, to address the recommendations made within the PAC Report. The Direction also stated that “the Council should ensure, in light of the modifications required to proceed to adoption, that updates to the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and any other statutory assessment as necessary should be undertaken”. The Council therefore undertook a screening of the modifications for Sustainability Appraisal (incorporating Strategic Environmental Assessment), documented through a Sustainability Appraisal - Second Addendum; and updated its draft Habitats Regulation Assessment; Equality (Section 75) Screening Report; and Rural Needs Impact Assessment. These documents were subject to a period of public consultation from 4 August to 1 September 2023. You can view the responses to this consultation and Council’s consideration of those responses in the Draft Plan Strategy Pre-Adoption Public Consultation Report (October 2023). |
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Stage 2: Adopted Plan Strategy Mid and East Antrim Borough Council adopted the Local Development Plan 2030 Plan Strategy on 16 October 2023 in accordance with Section 12 of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 and Regulation 24 of the Planning (Local Development Plan) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015. The Plan Strategy became effective on this date of adoption. |
Should you wish to be kept informed of the remaining stages of our Local Development Plan process, please fill out this community involvement form and return to us at E: LDP@midandeastantrim.gov.uk, or to:
Planning Department
Ardeevin
80 Galgorm Road
Ballymena
BT42 1AB.
General Data Protection Regulation
We comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and have produced a specific Local Development Plan Privacy Notice, which lets you know how we manage any personal information we receive from you.
It contains the standards you can expect when we ask for, or hold, your personal information and an explanation of our information management security policy.
A copy of our Local Development Plan Privacy Notice is available on this website.