The latest figures published for major planning application show a 27 week processing time during April to June 2023 for the Council compared to a 60 week average across all Councils. This highlights an impressive 55% faster turnaround time and names the Council as one of only three Councils to meet the 30 week statutory target during the same quarter.
For local applications, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council took an average of just 13.4 weeks processing time. This falls well below the Northern Ireland average of 18.9 weeks and, again, the Council performed positively against the statutory target of 15 weeks.
Major planning applications included in these latest stats include the £100M Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) at Global Point, Newtownabbey which was processed in just 25 weeks, and plans for a new multi-million pound storage and distribution facility at Nutts Corner for Heron Brothers was determined in just 17 weeks.
Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Councillor Mark Cooper BEM said the figures highlight a key reason why investors choose to the Borough to establish or expand their business;
“Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has surpassed its ambitious target of securing £1bn of investment and the creation of 3,600 jobs by 2025, with 4,100 jobs and £1.05bn of investment in the pipeline to date.
“The impressive performance of the Council’s planning professionals matched by a wraparound support service for businesses from an extremely successful Economic Development team, makes the Borough a logical choice for ambitious entrepreneurs”
Chairman of Antrim and Newtownabbey Planning Committee Councillor Robert Foster welcomed this great news. He said:
“The Council’s planning team are experts in their field who consistently outperform statutory targets. Their diligent performance and working in partnership with statutory consultees is a catalyst for attracting significant investment to our Borough.”