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Comment on PPS14 judgement

25 October 2007

Reacting to the decision of Mr Justice Gillen at Belfast High Court today (Thursday 25 October) to declare Planning Policy Statement 14 [1] 'ultra vires and unlawful' John Woods, Northern Ireland Director of Friends of the Earth said:

"It is difficult to see what Omagh District Council has achieved for its ratepayers by bringing this judicial review. The judge has not challenged the substance of PPS14. He has simply decided that the wrong Department drafted it. The Department of the Environment will now pick up where their colleagues in Regional Development left off and continue with the review of the policy.

"Although PPS14 has come under fire from our larger political parties, there is a growing consensus that the rapid suburbanisation of Northern Ireland's countryside is in no one's interest.

"While it may be appropriate to amend some aspects of the policy, Environment Minister, Arlene Foster must ensure that the floodgates to building in the countryside remain firmly shut. This will be a key test of her commitment to Northern Ireland's environment."

Notes

[1] Briefing on PPS14 (PDFâ€ )

†To view PDF files you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Visually impaired users can get extra help with these documents from access.adobe.com.

Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland
7 Donegall Street Place
BELFAST
BT1 2FN
Tel: 028 9023 3488
Fax: 028 9024 7556
Email: foe-ni@foe.co.uk.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust

Last modified: Oct 2008