Draft Plan Strategy

LDP Map Viewer

The draft Plan Strategy contains a series of proposals, zonings and designations of relevance to the Council area.  Further details of these are available at the following link:

Public Consultation

Further details on the consultation process and associated events are provided here.

The consultation period will be carried out over a twelve-week period, from Friday 27 June 2025 to Monday 22 September 2025. Please note that representations received after 5pm on the closing date will not be considered.

The draft Plan Strategy and supporting documents are available to view in hard copy during office hours, 9am to 5pm at the following Council offices:

• Newry Office, Monaghan Row, Newry BT35 8DJ
• Downpatrick Office, Downshire Civic Centre, Ardglass Road, Downpatrick BT30 6GQ

Online
Use our online response form at Local Development Plan  

Email
Email us or download the above response form at Local Development Plan and email to us at ldp@nmandd.org 

Post
Write to us or send in a response form available at Local Development Plan post it to the following address: 
Local Development Plan Team
Planning Office
Downshire Civic Centre
Ardglass Road
Downpatrick 
BT30 6GQ.

Drop-in Sessions

The Council is keen to hear the views of its residents, businesses, community and voluntary groups on its Local Development Plan draft Plan Strategy. 

There will be a number of public drop-in sessions across the district, during the consultation period, where interested parties can call in to discuss the draft Plan Strategy with planning officers. Details of these sessions are listed below.

You are welcome to attend one of the following Drop-in Sessions: (Table)

Soundness

The draft Plan Strategy will be examined at Independent Examination in regard to its soundness. In accordance with the new Local Development Plan system, it is important that any representation or counter-representation engage with the tests of soundness, which refer to the process by which the draft Plan Strategy was prepared.

Procedural Tests

• P1. Has the plan been prepared in accordance with the Council’s Timetable and the Statement of Community Involvement?
• P2. Has the Council prepared its Preferred Options Paper and taken into account any representations made?
• P3. Has the Plan been subject to Sustainability Appraisal including Strategic Environmental Assessment?
• P4. Did the Council comply with the regulations on the form and content of its Plan and on the procedure for preparing the Plan?

Consistency Tests

• C1. Did the Council take account of the Regional Development Strategy?
• C2. Did the Council take account of its Community Plan?
• C3. Did the Council take account of policy and guidance issued by the Department?
• C4. Has the Plan had regard to other relevant plans, policies and strategies relating to the Council’s district or to any adjoining council’s district.

Coherence and Effectiveness Tests

• CE1. The Plan sets out a coherent strategy from which its policies and allocations logically flow and where cross boundary issues are relevant it is not in conflict with the plans of neighbouring councils.
• CE2. The strategy, policies and allocations are realistic and appropriate having considered the relevant alternatives and are founded on a robust evidence base.
• CE3. There are clear mechanisms for implementation and monitoring.
• CE4. The Plan is reasonably flexible to enable it to deal with changing circumstances.

Any representation seeking to alter the draft Plan Strategy should clearly state why they consider the document to be unsound having due regard to the tests above. It is important that any representation which is made indicates the most appropriate soundness test(s) which it is believed the draft Plan Strategy fails to meet. It should be noted that there will be no further opportunity to submit additional information once the formal consultation period has closed unless the Examiner requests such information. 

Those who make a representation seeking to alter the draft Plan Strategy should also state whether they wish to be heard orally at the examination. Unless people specifically request a hearing, the Examiner will proceed on the basis that they are content for their representation(s) to be considered in written form only.

Next Steps

Once the consultation period has closed, the Council will collate the representations received and publish these on our website. A further 8-week period of consultation will allow for counter-representations to be made. All representations will be available for public inspection Monday-Friday 9.00am-5.00pm by contacting the Planning Office, Downshire Civic Centre, Ardglass Road, Downpatrick, BT30 6RA.

After the period for counter-representations has closed, the Council will collate the counter-representations received and publish these on our website. All counter-representations will be available for public inspection Monday-Friday 9.00am-5.00pm by contacting the Planning Office, Downshire Civic Centre, Ardglass Road, Downpatrick, BT30 6GQ.

After this process, the Council will consider if further changes or consultation are needed.  The Council will submit all documents to the Department for Infrastructure, to allow an Independent Examination of the draft Plan Strategy to be held.

All representations will be forwarded to the Department of Infrastructure in advance of the Independent Examination being held.

General Data Protection Regulation

Newy, Mourne and Down District Council comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), producing a specific Local Development Plan Privacy Notice, which sets out how any personal information we receive from the public is managed. This notice contains the standards required from the Council when we ask for, or hold your personal information, and an explanation of our information management security policy.

A copy of our LDP Privacy Notice is available here.

Further information 

It may be useful to refer to the Department for Infrastructure’s ‘Development Plan Practice Note 06 - Soundness’ available on the Department for Infrastructure website, www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

The Planning Appeals Commission have also produced guidance entitled ‘Procedures for Independent Examination of Local Development Plans’ available on the Planning Appeals Commission website, www.pacni.gov.uk