Planners are swamped by huge application backlog

Planners are swamped by huge application backlog

20 May 2015

A STAGGERING 1,250 planning applications in the Newry, Mourne and Down Council area have yet to be determined due to a staffing crisis, it has been confirmed.

The figure is due to be made public this evening when it will also be confirmed that 250 of the planning applications included in the mammoth backlog have been in the system for over a year.

Newry, Mourne and Down Council is now responsible for 29 planning staff — a 15-strong team which deals with planning applications, a four-strong planning enforcement team and 10 planners who work in the development plan team.

Members of the local authority’s Regulatory and Technical Services Committee will be told tonight 

that individual planners are currently dealing with caseloads of 100 or more applications. Good practice across planning authorities suggests an optimal caseload should be in the region of 50 to 70 applications.

In a paper prepared ahead of tonight’s meeting, councillors have been told if the ideal workloads were applied to local planners, 18 staff would be required. As it currently stands, the 15 strong team of planners working on applications has been reduced to 11 due to maternity and sick leave, with warnings issued that this has the potential to “impact on performance to a significant degree.”

To help reduce the backlog, councillors are being asked to approve the recruitment of temporary staff which would be paid for by an increase in planning revenue.

Planners are also seeking the green light to ask planning staff to “act up” to fill temporary vacancies at a senior level and conduct an internal trawl to identify suitably qualified planning staff within the new council.

Councillor Terry Andrews, who chairs the Regulatory and Technical Services Committee, said he is confident that planning staff will be able to address the backlog and praised them for the work they do.

“The aim is to get on top of the backlog and move to a position where planning applications can be turned around within a reasonable timeframe. The backlog is as a result of the merger of the two legacy councils and the applications planners based in Downpatrick and Newry had on their books at the time,” he continued.

“Planning staff have been working flat out since the formal merger and I have nothing but praise for the work they are doing given the current staffing difficulties.”

Councillor Andrews said he is confident that suggestions by planning officials that the cost of employing more staff on a temporary basis to address the backlog will be offset by increased income generated by processing applications.

He continued: “Planning is a key aspect of the new super council’s work and the solution devised to address the current difficulties is one I believe no one will have any problem endorsing. 

“The most important thing is to get on with tackling the backlog, recognising that individuals, developers and those involved in the construction industry in particular are very keen to see the applications in the system which have not yet been processed turned around as quickly as possible.”

Councillor Andrews added: “The planning staff who are now part and parcel of Newry, Mourne and Down Council can be assured of my full support. I am confident that once the planning backlog has been cleared, planning staff will be able to stay on top of things.”