Border Planners Should 'Show Flexibility'

Politicians in the North are looking for ways of getting the planning authorities to be more amenable to applications that involve job creation or other forms of entrepreneurship.

SDLP Fermanagh representatives have met with the local Divisional Planning Manager to discuss concerns they have that planning applications along the border with the potential to create growth in industry, job creation and tourism are being turned down by inflexible planners in the county.

Tommy Gallagher MLA and Cllr John O'Kane met with Gerry Hogg on Friday to discuss particular applications, which they felt could have boosted the local economy and also discussed the wider issue of planning policy within Fermanagh.

Following the meeting, Mr Gallagher said: "We sought this meeting to express our concern that applications with potential job creation were being turned down by inflexible use of planning laws.

"It's widely recognized that if people are to get back to work in Fermanagh it will come from growing the small business sector," he said.

"We feel that these applications would considerably contribute to the employment sector in a difficult time.

"Particularly as many young people are moving away to find work. Planners need to be sympathetic to opportunities like this. If these investment opportunities are missed then the investors will simply go elsewhere," he insisted.

"The meeting was worthwhile but we will judge it by the outcomes."

Cllr O'Kane added: "With regards to tourism, we feel that some applications with considerable potential contribution to job creation and tourism in Fermanagh are being wrongly turned down.

"Recently we have had hotel, chalets and other lough-shore based amenities turned down because of the PPS16 regulation, as well as applications seeking to boost the health sector.

"The terms of PPS 16 are to manage the provision of sustainable and high quality tourism developments in appropriate locations within the built and natural environment.

"With Fermanagh's geography, the rural natural environment must be sensitively managed to help tourism.

"The rural people of Fermanagh have been managing the landscape this way for generations. We're asking the planners to do likewise," he said.

(BMcC/GK)