Derry Chamber fears planning delays could compromise City of Culture investment

Derry Chamber of Commerce is warned that vital investment in the City of Culture 2013 project could be lost if Planning Services in the city are not improved.
While the chamber has welcomed Derry City Council’s decision to employ additional planning officers, it says more must be done to speed up the process.
The Chamber fears ambitious plans could come to nothing if proposals get tied-up in the slow process for considering and approving planning applications.
The Chamber’s chief executive Sinead McLaughlin said the construction sector that is on its knees – and the last thing it needs is a planning system that holds up those schemes that are actually coming forward despite the recession.