Consultation on Tourism Development

In discharging its development management and plan functions relating to tourism development, the planning authority will ensure adequate and proportionate consultation with relevant bodies. Where a proposal is of regional importance it may be appropriate to consult with the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment (DETI) and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB). This will allow informed consideration as to whether such a proposal is of genuine benefit for regional tourism, for example assisting in the realisation of the Tourism 'Priorities for Action' Plan. Pending the transfer of planning functions to local government, ongoing consultation with local councils on tourism applications will be important. In this regard the emphasis is to secure strategic responses that indicate the extent to which individual proposals will meet the objectives of a tourist development plan for which the Council is responsible.