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Planning in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has its own planning legislation, policy and decision-making structure. The English, Welsh and Scottish systems should not be used as substitutes for the Northern Irish rules.
Planning Geek coverage in Northern Ireland
We are not currently offering the full Planning Geek guidance library for Northern Ireland. We do, however, track selected planning developments and have created this section so it can expand cleanly if that changes.
The modern Northern Ireland planning system is principally based on the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 and is administered through a combination of local councils and the Department for Infrastructure.
Most planning applications and local enforcement matters are dealt with by the 11 councils. The Department for Infrastructure retains important regional and oversight functions, including responsibility for planning legislation and regional planning policy, as well as certain regionally significant and called-in applications.
Planning policy in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has its own regional planning policy framework. The Department for Infrastructure publishes the official Northern Ireland planning information, including policy, legislation and guidance.
The Strategic Planning Policy Statement, Edition 2, published on 11th December 2025, is a central part of that policy framework. The Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 is the principal planning legislation. Because the legal and policy structure is different, English concepts such as the English GPDO or English Use Classes should not be assumed to apply in Northern Ireland.
Current Planning Geek coverage
We are not currently building a full Northern Ireland version of the Planning Geek guidance library. This page gives the jurisdiction a clear home on the site and provides a route into the Northern Ireland news we are already reporting.
If that coverage grows later, detailed pages can sit beneath this section without mixing Northern Irish rules into the English guidance.
Latest planning news from Northern Ireland
We cover selected Northern Ireland planning developments, consultations and policy changes where they are useful to readers. You can browse the full Planning News in Northern Ireland archive here.
Planning elsewhere in the UK
For our main guidance library, see Planning in England. We also have a developing Planning in Wales section and a separate Planning in Scotland landing page.
Planning In Northern Ireland Page Created: 5th October 2026