Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011

Joint plans

17.—(1) Two or more councils may agree to prepare—

(a) a joint plan strategy; or

(b) a joint plan strategy and joint local policies plan.

(2) This Part applies for the purposes of any step which may be or is required to be taken in relation to a joint plan strategy or a joint local policies plan as it applies for the purposes of any step which may be or is required to be taken in relation to a plan strategy or local policies plan.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (2) anything which must be done by or in relation to a council in connection with a plan strategy or a local policies plan must be done by or in relation to each of the councils mentioned in subsection (1) in connection with a joint plan strategy or local policies plan.

(4) Subsections (5) to (7) apply if a council withdraws from an agreement mentioned in subsection (1).

(5) Any step taken in relation to the joint plan strategy or joint local policies plan must be treated as a step taken by—

(a) a council which was a party to the agreement for the purposes of any corresponding plan strategy or corresponding local policies plan prepared by it;

(b) two or more other councils who were parties to the agreement for the purposes of any corresponding joint plan strategy or corresponding joint local policies plan.

(6) Any independent examination of a plan strategy or a local policies plan to which the agreement relates must be suspended.

(7) If before the end of the period prescribed for the purposes of this subsection a council which was a party to the agreement requests the Department in writing to do so the Department may direct that—

(a) the examination is resumed in relation to the corresponding plan strategy or corresponding local policies plan;

(b) any step taken for the purposes of the suspended examination has effect for the purposes of the resumed examination.

(8) In this section and in section 18—

(a) a joint plan strategy is a plan strategy prepared jointly by two or more councils;

(b) a joint local policies plan is a local policies plan prepared jointly by two or more councils.

(9) The Department may by regulations make provision as to what is—

(a) a corresponding plan strategy;

(b) a corresponding local policies plan.