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23/08/2002
Pollution problems over planning applications addressed
Two executive departments have joined forces in a move is designed to reduce waiting lists for planning proposals and in doing so have called for extra funding for the Water Service.
The Department of Environment (DoE) Minister Dermot Nesbitt and his Department of Regional Development (DRD) counterpart, Peter Robinson, met yesterday to address problems relating to development proposals that have outline planning approval, but which had been held up due to concerns over possible sewage pollution.
The move is intended to ensure the planning backlog is processed quickly to decision stage by the DoE’s Planning Service.
In a joint statement, the Ministers said that the DRD Water Service had suffered "historic under funding" creating a "difficulty" for DoE’s Environment and Heritage Service – which impacts on Planning Service delivery. To counter this, they called for "extra resources" to be released to the Water Service.
“We still have some way to go to ensure that the sewerage system in all areas of Northern Ireland meets EU and national standards," they said.
“This difficulty has again underlined the need for significant ongoing investment in our water and sewerage infrastructure, which has suffered from a long period of under funding. Furthermore, the increasing stringency of EU and national environmental standards has made it more difficult for DRD’s Water Service to fully comply in the short to medium term at least.
"We would both strongly advocate extra resources for DRD’s Water Service to enable Northern Ireland to meet environmental standards more quickly."
Decisions on other planning applications, in those areas where sewerage infrastructure is not yet fully compliant with EU and national environmental standards, will remain on hold for the time being over concerns over water pollution.
The two Ministers said that they had made "good progress in resolving the difficulties".
Officials have now been tasked to complete their deliberations and to make recommendations on the matter by mid September.
(GMcG)
The Department of Environment (DoE) Minister Dermot Nesbitt and his Department of Regional Development (DRD) counterpart, Peter Robinson, met yesterday to address problems relating to development proposals that have outline planning approval, but which had been held up due to concerns over possible sewage pollution.
The move is intended to ensure the planning backlog is processed quickly to decision stage by the DoE’s Planning Service.
In a joint statement, the Ministers said that the DRD Water Service had suffered "historic under funding" creating a "difficulty" for DoE’s Environment and Heritage Service – which impacts on Planning Service delivery. To counter this, they called for "extra resources" to be released to the Water Service.
“We still have some way to go to ensure that the sewerage system in all areas of Northern Ireland meets EU and national standards," they said.
“This difficulty has again underlined the need for significant ongoing investment in our water and sewerage infrastructure, which has suffered from a long period of under funding. Furthermore, the increasing stringency of EU and national environmental standards has made it more difficult for DRD’s Water Service to fully comply in the short to medium term at least.
"We would both strongly advocate extra resources for DRD’s Water Service to enable Northern Ireland to meet environmental standards more quickly."
Decisions on other planning applications, in those areas where sewerage infrastructure is not yet fully compliant with EU and national environmental standards, will remain on hold for the time being over concerns over water pollution.
The two Ministers said that they had made "good progress in resolving the difficulties".
Officials have now been tasked to complete their deliberations and to make recommendations on the matter by mid September.
(GMcG)
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