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Friday 9 March 2001 Agricultural Occupancy Mr Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to confirm when he will bring forward legislative proposals to allow an Agricultural Occupancy clause to be exchanged from a new dwelling to the original farmhouse. (AQW 1536/00) The Minister of the Environment (Mr Foster): I have no plans to bring forward new legislation in this area. The purpose of such conditions is to help protect rural areas where it is necessary to exercise strict planning control over new development in Green Belts, Countryside Policy Areas and along protected routes. I believe that this control would be weakened if the condition could be transferred to the original farmhouse. Such a change would call into question the purpose of imposing the condition in the first place, and would also allow development, which is not based on agricultural need. I am satisfied with the safeguards provided by the present system, which allows for an application to be made to have the condition removed or modified. Water Quality - Three Mile Water Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment to outline his plans to monitor the water quality of the Three Mile Water and its tributaries. (AQW 1728/00) Mr Foster: The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) of my Department has monitored the water quality of the Three Mile Water by regular sampling at a point close to Whiteabbey since the early 1990s. This monitoring regime will continue. Based on the monitoring results the chemical and biological water quality of the river is classified each year. The biological quality of the river has ranged from ‘fair’ to ‘poor’ since monitoring began. The chemical quality of the river has been ‘fairly good’ over the same period. The main reasons for the water quality problems in the river appear to be urban run-off and discharges from combined storm overflows on the sewerage system which serves the extensive built-up area through which the lower reach of the river and its tributaries flow. I understand that the Department for Regional Development is currently considering proposals for improving the sewerage infrastructure in the Whiteabbey/Newtownabbey/ Monkstown area and a decision on the next stage should be taken by September 2001. Following a review in 1999, river monitoring throughout Northern Ireland was extended to smaller watercourses with a mean daily flow of at least 5,000 cubic metres per day. None of the tributaries of the Three Mile Water has a mean daily flow at this level. Therefore there are no plans to extend routine monitoring of this river system to include any of the tributaries. Planning Applications - Mr Bradley asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of planning applications for the construction of telecommunication masts which were approved in each of the twenty six council areas in each of the last five years for which figures are available. (AQW 1749/00) Mr Foster: The information for the last five calendar years for which records are available is set out below.
Historic Building Grant Funding Mr Hussey asked the Minister of the Environment to detail his plans for dealing with historic building grant funding in the financial year 2001/02. (AQW 1795/00) Mr Foster: [holding answer 22 February 2001]: The Environment and Heritage Service of my Department is currently finalising its business plan and budget for 2001/2 for my approval. However it is likely that the allocation for Historic Buildings grant-aid will be of the order of £2m. It remains my intention to begin accepting new applications for grant-aid from 1 April 2001. Letters of offer for eligible projects will be issued when all relevant cost information has been received. Offers of grant will be made on the understanding that payment should not be expected before the 2002/03 financial year. Payments of grant will continue to be made during 2001/02 on projects for which applications were accepted prior to the suspension. Projects Receiving Grant Aid From Mr Hussey asked the Minister of the Environment to detail those projects, including the amounts awarded, that have received funding from the Historic Building Grant Scheme since its establishment. (AQW 1796/00) Mr Foster: [holding answer 22 February 2001]: Historic Buildings grants have been available since 1972. Some 8500 applications have been processed since then. The information sought is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information about grant aid is published in the annual report of my Department’s Environment and Heritage Service. Expenditure in the last 3 financial years in each of the four main categories of grant was as follows:
New Applicants for an Historic Mr Hussey asked the Minister of the Environment if, pursuant to AQO 680/00, he will confirm his intention that new applicants for an historic building grant cannot expect funding until after 1 April 2002. (AQW 1797/00) Mr Foster: [holding answer 22 February 2001]: I can confirm that it remains my intention that new applications for historic buildings grant-aid will be accepted from 1 April 2001. However, offers of grant to eligible projects will be made on the understanding that payment should not be expected before the 2002/03 financial year. Thirty Two Large Schemes Claiming Mr Hussey asked the Minister of the Environment if, pursuant to AQO 680/00, he will detail the thirty-two large schemes that have been issued with invitations to claim an historic building grant. (AQW 1832/00) Mr Foster: [holding answer 22 February 2001]: Since I replied to AQO 680/00, officials in EHS have made final payments to a number of schemes which are as follows –
I am pleased to report that there are now 26 large schemes remaining. The details of these buildings are as follows:- Privately Owned
District Council Owned
Church Owned
My Department does not divulge financial information on individual buildings. Planning Applications - Mr Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of planning applications for telecommunication masts in the Strangford parliamentary constituency that have been (a) approved and (b) refused in each of the last three years for which figures are available. (AQW 1975/00) Mr Foster: The Planning Service does not currently record details of planning applications on a parliamentary constituency basis. Details of planning applications, including applications for Prior Approval, for telecommunications masts in the Ards, Castlereagh and Down District Council areas, which comprise the greater part of the Strangford constituency, are as follows: -
Waste Management Strategy Mr Paisley Jnrasked the Minister of the Environment to outline his policy on waste management for Northern Ireland. (AQW 1979/00) Mr Foster: Policy on waste management is set out in the Waste Management Strategy for Northern Ireland, published by my Department in March 2000. A copy of the Strategy is available in the Assembly Library. The key objectives of the Strategy are to reduce the amount of waste generated, to re-use, recycle or recover as much of the waste produced as possible and to dispose of waste to landfill only as a last resort. The Strategy sets short and long term targets to achieve these objectives. The Strategy requires District Councils to prepare Waste Management Plans for their areas by 30 June 2001. These Plans will show how the Councils intend to meet the targets and objectives of the Strategy and identify the network of waste facilities needed. Councils have formed three groups to prepare these plans at a sub-regional level. The requirement for plans and the timetable are dictated by the terms of the EU Waste Framework and Landfill Directive. Vehicle Excise Duty Mr Paisley Jnr asked the Minister of the Environment to give his assessment of the estimated number of unlicensed vehicles being used on Northern Ireland’s roads and to detail the amount of revenue lost as a result. (AQW 1991/00) Mr Foster: The collection and enforcement of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) are excepted matters. They are carried out in Northern Ireland by DVLNI under the terms of a formal agency agreement between DOE and the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions. VED evasion is estimated through three yearly roadside surveys. The following table indicates the rate of evasion in Northern Ireland in the two most recent surveys:
The percentage figures for 1999 represent around 75,000 unlicensed vehicles. In 1999/2000 the estimated loss of revenue to the UK Exchequer from VED evasion in Northern Ireland was £11·9m. The detection of unlicensed vehicles is primarily the responsibility of the RUC, although my Department also undertakes direct action through its road transport enforcement work and the wheel clamping initiative. Planning Applications Mr Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of (a) planning application requests (b) those approved (c) those refused and (d) refusals overturned on appeal in the parliamentary constituency of Strangford in each of the last two years for which figures are available. (AQW 2002/00) Mr Foster: The Planning Service does not currently record details of planning applications on a parliamentary constituency basis. Details of planning applications in the Ards, Castlereagh and Down District Council areas, which comprise the greater part of the Strangford constituency, are as follows:-
Retrospective Planning Approval Mr Beggs asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of cases of retrospective planning approval that have been granted by the Planning Service in each District Council area in each of the last five years for which figures are available. (AQW 2019/00) Mr Foster: I refer the Member to the answer given to AQO 1006/00 on Monday 5 March 2001. Ulster Society for the Prevention Mrs I Robinsonasked the Minister of the Environment to detail (a) what discussions he has had with the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in each of the last two years and (b) the nature of those discussions. (AQW 2024/00) Mr Foster: I have had no discussions with the USPCA in the last two years. Planning Service - Provision of Open Space Mr Ford asked the Minister of the Environment, if, in light of his recent admission that Planning Service had miscalculated the figures for the provision of open space in both the draft Lisburn Area Plan and the draft Craigavon Area Plan, he will ensure that the corrected figures are used when considering the recommendations of the Public Appeals Commission in relation to these two Area plans. (AQW 2025/00) Mr Foster: The Planning Service did not miscalculate the figures for the provision of open space in these draft Area Plans. It is accepted, however, that the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA) Standards were misinterpreted, by mistakenly including publicly owned golf courses, in the analysis of open space set out in the Technical Supplement. This analysis, which is a statistical assessment in reference to NPFA standards, was purely for comparative purposes. The primary role of these Area Plans in regard to open space is to facilitate the requirements of the relevant District Councils, which have responsibility for assessing and providing for future open space needs, by the zoning of appropriate sites. During the consultation process followed in the preparation of these draft plans, each Council advised my Department on the future open space needs of their local areas, based on their own assessment. The role of the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) in Area Plan Inquiries is to hear objections and make recommendations to the Department as to how they should be dealt with. As regards the Lisburn Area Plan, my Department is currently assessing the recommendations from PAC prior to Plan adoption later this year. The general issue relating to the overall provision of open space and recreation within the draft Lisburn Area Plan was not raised at the Public Inquiry. As for the draft Craigavon Area Plan, my Department’s acknowledgement of the misinterpretation with the accompanying Technical Supplement has been clarified by Public Notice. The Public Inquiry into the draft Plan is not programmed to commence until May 2001. There have been no objections raised regarding the general issue of overall provision of open space and recreation within the draft Plan. Maintenance Costs of Carrickfergus Castle Mr Hilditch asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the cost of maintaining Carrickfergus Castle in each of the last five years. (AQW 2061/00) Mr Foster: The costs of maintaining the historic fabric of Carrickfergus Castle were as follows:
In addition to these costs, my Department incurs other costs, including marketing, building running costs, grounds maintenance, tour guides and the castle manager. These costs are offset by receipts from admissions, sales and events. Information on these costs and receipts for any year before 1997/98 is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. For each year since then, the running costs and receipts of the Castle were as follows:-
Running costs figures for the current financial year are not yet available. Number of Visitors to Carrickfergus Castle Mr Hilditch asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of visitors to Carrickfergus Castle in each of the last five years. (AQW 2062/00) Mr Foster: My Department records visitors numbers at Carrickfergus Castle by financial year. The information sought is as follows:-
Within these totals, the number of those visiting free in school groups for educational purposes was as follows:-
Cultural Events at Carrickfergus Castle Mr Hilditch asked the Minister of the Environment to detail his plans to promote Carrickfergus Castle as a venue for cultural events. (AQW 2063/00) Mr Foster: The Environment and Heritage Service of my Department maintains Carrickfergus Castle and features the Castle in its annual Events Programme. In early May, the Castle will host an armourer who will display medieval weaponry and demonstrate his craft skills. On 28 July, the Castle will hold the annual Lughnasa Fair. In October, the Castle will house a travelling exhibition of photographs of historic monuments and buildings. In November, a walking tour of the historic town will feature in the Queen’s University Belfast Festival. EHS is currently running a campaign advertising its historic monuments and featuring the Castle on Translink buses. The castle features prominently on a ‘super colour’ bus, which is routed throughout the Greater Belfast area. EHS encourages applications from other bodies, such as the District Council, to hold cultural and other events in the Castle, subject to standard conditions of use. Planning Regulations: Ms Armitage asked the Minister of the Environment to give his assessment of the need to review the current planning regulations relating to apartment development. (AQO 945/00) Mr Foster: My Department is seeking to strengthen planning policy to deal with this issue in two ways. The Department is currently finalising, following public consultation, a Planning Policy Statement entitled "Quality Residential Developments". This will provide a policy context against which proposals for housing development both on greenfield lands and within existing urban areas can be considered, including their relationship with existing development. The Department is also preparing, for consultation, supplementary Planning Guidance in the form of a Development Control Advice Note giving guidance specifically related to proposals for small-unit housing within existing residential areas. I hope to publish both documents in the spring. I understand that the Department for Regional Development will be preparing a Regional Planning Policy Statement entitled "Housing in Settlements", which will also provide guidance on this matter. Waste Management Mr Hilditch asked the Minister of the Environment to outline his policy on waste management for the Parliamentary constituency of East Antrim. (AQO 964/00) Mr Foster: Policy on waste management generally is set out in the Northern Ireland Waste Management Strategy published by my Department in March 2000. The Strategy is a requirement of the Waste and Contaminated Land (NI) Order 1997. District Councils are required by the 1997 Order to prepare, by 30 June this year, Waste Management Plans for public consultation. Once agreed by the Department, these Plans will form the waste management policy for the area which they cover. The District Councils within the Parliamentary constituency of East Antrim are members of the Eastern Region Waste Management Group which comprises 11 Councils. The Group is currently developing a Waste Management Plan providing for the establishment of an integrated network of facilities within the area covered by the 11 Councils. Planning Policy Statement 2 (PPS 2) Ms Lewsley asked the Minister of the Environment if he intends to review Planning Policy Statement 2 (PPS2) on Planning and Nature Conservation, in the light of the Department’s recent guidance on protecting plants and wildlife under its ‘Creating Places’ quality initiative (paragraphs 2.21-2.24). (AQO 962/00) Mr Foster: I have no plans at present to review Planning Policy Statement 2. It is considered that the policies within Planning Policy Statement 2 generally provide a sufficient policy framework for the guidance contained within "Creating Places". A revised Planning Policy Statement Programme will be published in the Planning Service’s Corporate & Business Plan 2001-2003, taking account of available resources and priorities. Applications for Development: Mrs I Robinsonasked the Minister of the Environment to detail all current applications for development in the Comber and Ballygowan areas. (AQO 988/00) Mr Foster: Within the development limits of Comber, as defined in the North Down and Ards Area Plan, which remains the statutory Development Plan for the area, there are twenty three current planning applications proposing various forms of development. Within the development limits of Ballygowan, the corresponding figure is nine. It would not be practical to detail all these applications today, but I will write to the Member with details of these applications. In addition, my Department is considering two major applications for housing development in the Belfast Urban Area Green Belt in the Comber area. Road Safety Awareness Mr Gibson asked the Minister of the Environment to detail his plans to increase road safety awareness. (AQO 947/00) Mr Foster: I remain totally committed to increasing road safety awareness in Northern Ireland. I intend to publish a consultation document shortly seeking views on a new Road Safety Strategy for Northern Ireland to 2010. This has been drawn up in conjunction with local departments, agencies and the RUC, and the issues have been discussed with the Environment Committee. The Department is in the process of recruiting 10 additional Road Safety Education Officers, doubling the existing number. These officers play a vital role in increasing understanding of road safety and encouraging positive road user attitudes among children and young people, as well as other road users. In addition, my Department will be increasing its targeted road safety publicity aimed at the main causes of road casualties – excessive speed, drink driving and failure to wear seat belts. In November 2000 I launched, jointly with the Minister for the Environment and Local Government in the South, a new anti drink drive commercial - Shame. This campaign is ongoing. Work is also underway to prepare a publicity campaign promoting seat belt wearing, to be launched later this year. Equality Scheme Dr Birnieasked the Minister of the Environment to make a statement on his Department’s Equality Scheme. (AQO 1005/00) Mr Foster: I am pleased to report that my Department’s Equality Scheme was approved by the Equality Commission on 8 February 2001. The scheme confirms the Department’s commitment to its statutory obligations on the promotion of equality of opportunity and good relations and sets out the ways in which those obligations will be fulfilled. It covers all the functions, duties and powers of the Department. An action plan has been drawn up to help implement the commitments in the scheme and an Equality Unit has been created within my Department to oversee the programme of work and to monitor and review progress regularly. Initial training has been provided to staff on the new duties and a full training and communication plan is being prepared. European Union Habitats Directive Mr A Dohertyasked the Minister of the Environment to detail the impact on his Department of the recent decision of the European Commission to issue a Reasoned Opinion against the United Kingdom for failure to apply the European Union’s Habitats Directive. (AQO 954/00) Mr Foster: The reasoned opinion issued by the European Commission against the United Kingdom relates to licences issued by the statutory nature conservation authorities in the United Kingdom to relocate protected species where development is taking place. The Commission considers that the issue of these licences was not in accordance with the Habitats Directive. The case arose following complaints to the Commission about the relocation of Great Crested Newts in England and Wales from sites where planning permission for development had been granted. The Great Crested Newt does not occur in Northern Ireland and the need for my Department to issue similar licences for other protected species has not arisen. The matter may, nevertheless, have some relevance to Northern Ireland. The Habitats Directive is transposed into Northern Ireland legislation by means of Regulations which set out the basis on which such licences may be issued. In consultation with the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions and the other devolved administrations, I shall wish to consider whether there is any need to amend the Regulations in light of the outcome of the reasoned opinion.
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