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Validation checklists in Northern Ireland: April 2025 update
On 1 April 2025 Belfast City Council adopted their new validation checklist and other councils across Northern Ireland will soon follow suit. We explain everything you need to know about validation checklists, provide an update on where they currently apply, and consider what this will mean for applicants.
In our June 2024 planning update, we reported that the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) was considering introducing new legislation for councils to bring forward validation checklists to support the planning application validation process, following a public consultation exercise in January 2023.
In October 2024, the then Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd announced amendments to The Planning (General Development Procedure) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015 (the GDPO), introducing new powers for the 11 councils in Northern Ireland to prepare and publish planning application validation checklists. The Minister stated that this change is designed to“improve planning performance with better quality applications entering the system, resulting in shorter processing times, more efficient consultee responses and quicker planning decisions.”
These amendments came into effect on 1 April 2025 and Belfast City Council has adopted their new validation checklist under these arrangements as of the same date. Other councils will soon follow suit.
What is a validation checklist?
Validation checklists are a list of information which must accompany a planning application before the council will make it valid – i.e. before it becomes a live application.
The current minimum statutory requirements as per the GDPO remain unchanged (location plan, sufficient plans and drawings etc.). The DfI has confirmed that the new validation checklists will set out the additional supporting information required to accompany different types of planning application, “specific and proportionate to the type of development proposed, including its nature, scale and location.”
Are validation checklists not already in operation?
Some local authorities, including Belfast City Council for example, have already introduced informal validation checklists which outline basic and additional information that may be required to support the validation and determination of a planning application. There are also guides to help applicants determine the type of information to be submitted, depending on the nature and scale of the planning application.
The difference now is that validation checklists brought in under the new powers will have statutory weight and compliance, and the validation checklist will be mandatory in those councils where they apply.
Where does this now apply?
Whilst the change in legislation provides councils with the power to introduce and implement validation checklists, they are not legislatively compelled to do so. Belfast City Council consulted on their draft checklist in January 2025 before presenting it to planning committee in March for adoption on 1 April. Other councils will need to follow this approach, firstly publishing drafts for consultation before adopting statutory validation checklists. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council are currently at that stage.
An updated status for each council area is set out in the below table.
What does this mean for applicants?
In councils where validation checklists have been adopted, planning applications will now only be considered valid when they are accompanied by the information required for the type, scale and nature of application proposed.
Critically, under the updated legislation, if a council issues a ‘notice confirming non-compliance’ with the new requirements, it is deemed a refusal of planning permission.
If an applicant considers the requested information to be an unreasonable or unnecessary requirement, there is an option to submit an appeal to the Planning Appeals Commission within 14 days of the council’s notice.
The level and detail of information required may differ for the same proposal depending on which council area the application is in. It is now more important than ever to be aware of application requirements on a council-by-council basis. For larger schemes, it is often best to engage in pre-application discussions with the council to scope the type and detail of information required.
Getting an acceptable package of information prepared up front will ensure a quicker validation process and ultimately increases your chances of securing planning permission in a more timely fashion.
To discuss these changes and what they might mean for your project, please get in touch with Nick Salt or Eilís Turley.
10 April 2025
[1] Ards and North Down Borough Council: Appendix 1 Information Checklist
[2] Ards and North Down Borough Council: Appendix 2 Basic Requirements
[3] Ards and North Down Borough Council: Appendix 3 Other Supporting Information
[4] Armagh City Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council: Planning Application Checklists
[5] Belfast City Council: Planning Application Validation Checklist
[6] Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council: Planning Application Validation Checklist
[7] Fermanagh and Omagh: Planning Applications Validation Checklist