Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon Council has endorsed ending the legal requirement to advertise planning applications in local newspapers. Councillors rejected proposals to eliminate direct written notifications to neighbours near proposed developments.

The decision emerged at the council's April planning committee meeting. Robbie McNaugher, Head of Planning, presented a report on proposed changes from a Northern Ireland-wide review of the Planning Act (NI) 2011.

The Department for Infrastructure notified the council in January that it began work on a second review report, due within five years of the first report published in January 2022. The initial review started in April 2021 with a call for evidence, to which the council responded.

Council officers assessed the planning system as effective overall for controlling development in the public interest. They identified legislative areas causing delays and resource burdens, including public notification methods.

The council proposed replacing newspaper ads and neighbour letters with site notices or other alternatives. McNaugher called for modernising notifications, noting the absence of provisions for site notices or electronic options like apps used elsewhere.

Alliance Councillor Peter Lavery tabled an amendment to retain written neighbour notifications. He noted frequent resident complaints about insufficient notification radii and argued against removing them entirely.

Sinn Fein Councillor Paul Duffy seconded the amendment, recalling the council's prior rejection of ending resident letters. He stated that site notices alone might miss nearby residents, such as those around corners from a development.

McNaugher accepted the amendment for the submission to the Department for Infrastructure. The response also covered timeframes for pre-application notices, powers over outdated tree preservation orders, and a new development category.