# Working in Northern Ireland, Planning
Planning in Northern Ireland runs on its own system, policies and Permitted Development rules, separate from England, Scotland and Wales.
1. The SPPS, NI's planning rulebook
The Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) sets the regional planning policy for all of Northern Ireland.
- The SPPS must be taken into account when councils prepare their Local Development Plans, and it's a material consideration in individual planning decisions and appeals.
- The current SPPS (edition 2, 2025) covers sustainable development, town centres, housing, transport and the countryside.
- It replaces older Planning Policy Statements as new local plans come in.
For you: when a designer or planner in NI talks about "policy," they mean the SPPS + the local council's plan, not England's NPPF, Scotland's NPF4 or Wales's PPW.
2. Planning powers, who you deal with
The Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 set up NI's current planning system.
- On 1 April 2015, most planning powers were transferred from the Department to the 11 local councils. You now normally apply to your local council for planning permission, not to a central Planning Service.
- The Department for Infrastructure still holds some regional and call-in powers, but day-to-day householder, small commercial and local development is handled by councils.
On site: "In NI, planning is mostly run by the 11 councils, but all under the umbrella rules in the SPPS."
3. Permitted Development in NI
PD rights in NI are set out in separate legislation from England, Wales and Scotland.
- The key law is the Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015, which grants planning permission for certain classes of development without a normal application.
- This Order has been amended over time (including by the 2023 Amendment Order), but the structure and classes are specific to NI.
- NI PD rights cover things like certain house extensions, alterations, outbuildings, changes of use and minor operations · but the limits, sizes and conditions are not identical to the English GPDO.
Do not assume an extension or change of use that's PD in England will automatically be PD in Northern Ireland. You must check the NI Order and local guidance instead.
4. How to handle NI planning in practice
Always assume NI rules are different
- Don't use English Planning Portal guides for NI jobs.
- Don't rely on Scottish or Welsh PD limits · NI has its own.
Check the right sources
- Your local council's planning pages for PD guidance and householder information.
- The NI Planning Portal for applications and searches.
- The SPPS for policy context.
Your safe line to clients
"Because this is Northern Ireland, the planning rules and PD rights are different from the rest of the UK. Before we assume this is permitted, we need to check the NI guidance and your council's rules."
What to do next
- Read: Working in Northern Ireland · building regulations overview
- Read: Working in Wales · planning rules (for comparison)
- Read: Working in Scotland · planning rules (for comparison)
Sources
- Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) · NI regional planning policy (edition 2, 2025).
- Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 · the legal framework for NI planning.
- Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015 · NI PD rights.
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