To ask the Minister for Infrastructure why no other planning applications, apart from LA06/2020/0097/F, were previously called in by her Department due to Clandeboye Lake, Bangor.

The power of my Department to ‘call in’ an application for planning permission, under section 29 of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, is a necessary safeguard where there are applications that raise issues of such importance that their impact is considered to extend to a sub-regional or regional level. Whilst this is a wide power, it is anticipated that it would only be used in exceptional circumstances as it is recognised that councils are best placed to deal with the vast majority of applications within their own area.

You may be aware that my Department has been notified by Ards and North Down Borough Council in relation to planning application reference: LA06/2020/0097/F (proposed redevelopment of Queen’s Parade) under the Planning (Notification of Applications) Direction 2017. Notification to my Department was required due to the council’s resolution to grant approval for the application where it had received a significant objection from a statutory consultee, in this instance a consultee from within my Department in relation to flood risk. Whilst planning application LA06/2020/0097/F has therefore been notified to my Department, it has not, to date, been ‘called in’.