Local council’s planners named best in the North

FERMANAGH and Omagh District Council’s planning team has been named the ‘best in the North’.

They won the Northern Ireland Planning Authority of the Year category at this year’s Royal Town Planning Institute Awards, which took place in Riddell Hall, Belfast.

The Royal Town Planning Institute Awards recognise the positive contribution planning professionals make in the communities they serve.

For the ‘Planning Authority of the Year Award’ specifically, the team is assessed on services provided, projects undertaken, challenges faced, ability to work in a challenging and complex stakeholder environment, and how satisfied clients, applicants and partners are with the service.

FODC planning committee chair, Cllr Tommy Maguire, said, “I am delighted that our planning team has been awarded the Planning Authority of the Year in the North of Ireland at the recent Royal Town Planning Institute Awards.

“This is testament to the excellent work by the team to provide a quality service and experience for our residents.”

The council’s planning team consists of around 40 staff who deliver a number of key functions, including local plan making, development management and enforcement.

Planning in the council is a key enabler and delivers a wide range of public interest outcomes for local communities.

It aims to meet the needs of all the people of the district by creating sustainable communities through housing, job creation, enterprise promotion, tourism support, provision of services and community facilities within the context of a healthy, well-planned natural and built environment.

The team will now go on to represent Northern Ireland at the National Awards this November.