Introduction

1.1 Under Section 4 of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (‘the 2011 act’), Mid and East Antrim Borough Council are required to prepare and publish a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI).

1.2 The SCI sets out how Mid and East Antrim Borough Council intends to engage with community through the delivery of its planning functions. In relation to the Local Development Plan (LDP) the SCI describes who, how and when the community will be involved in the different stages of its preparation. It also includes commitments to publish statutory notices, undertake public launches, exhibitions and events that encourage members of the public to comment on the LDP.

1.3 The Council published its Statement of Community Involvement in August 2016, having been approved by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) on 14 June 2016.

1.4 This original SCI was then subject to formal revision and amendments in 2019 to reflect relatively minor changes in regard to the discharge of its statutory development plan and development management functions, particularly where this relates to engagement with the public. This was agreed by Council on 7 November 2019 and approved by DfI on 27 November 2019 in accordance with Regulation 7 of the Planning (Statement of Community Involvement) Regulations (NI) 2015.

1.5 In December 2020, our SCI was further revised to include arrangements during a pandemic, as well as in relation to the public inspection of proposed modifications to a draft development plan document before submission for Independent Examination. This was agreed by Council on 5 October 2020 and approved by DfI on 23 November 2020.

1.6 Regulation 20 (2) of the Planning (Local Development Plan) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 prescribes a list of the documents a Council must submit, along with its development plan document to the DfI for Independent Examination. This list includes the Council’s statement of community involvement along with evidence that the Council has complied with its statement of community involvement. Section 1 of this compliance document sets out how the LDP draft Plan Strategy preparation and publication has complied with the prevailing legislation in relation to the formulation and content of a statement of community involvement. Section 2 then demonstrates how the Council’s preparation of its LDP draft Plan Strategy has complied with the actions set out in its Statement of Community Involvement.