Addressing climate change through strategic planning reform

The Department for Infrastructure is considering whether a complete overhaul is needed of the Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) to ensure climate resilience is central to planning decisions across the region.

A consultation aiming to review and potentially revise the Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) to better address climate change was closed by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) in March 2024.

Northern Ireland’s planning sector has increasingly felt the strain of outdated policies unable to keep pace with the intensifying climate crisis.

When the SPPS was established in 2015 it accounted for a form of sustainable development which is now widely accepted as outdated, given legally binding decarbonisation targets under the Climate Change (Northern Ireland) Act 2022.

In this context, policymakers are currently debating whether incremental adjustments within the SPPS will be sufficient, or if an overhaul is required to place climate resilience at the core of planning strategies.

The SPPS’s core principles – supporting health, economic growth, place-making, and environmental stewardship – are stated in the consultation document as potentially “remaining aspirational without enforceable standards that hold local councils and developers accountable to climate objectives”.

For example, while positive place-making and design could promote low-emission, resource-efficient buildings, the SPPS currently lacks the regulatory ‘teeth’ needed to enforce this. As climate impacts become more severe, there will be a need for enforceable, climate-oriented standards across all planning decisions with the objective of ensuring that short-term development benefits do not undermine long-term resilience.

Table one shows the four topics that are likely to see significant policy updates. However, minor updates may prove insufficient, with policymakers widely accepting that a more integrated, ambitious approach to climate-resilient planning is needed.

The SPPS could become a policy tool that actively drives Northern Ireland’s climate agenda, compelling planning authorities to align all development activities with sustainable, climate-adaptive practices.

This Call for Evidence aims to redefine the SPPS not only as a planning document, but as a robust framework for climate resilience. By critically examining its principles and considering substantive reforms, DfI and stakeholders will be aiming to craft a SPPS that genuinely supports climate and development goals.

However, without a commitment to bold, enforceable policies, the planning system may continue to face the same challenges, potentially leaving communities and ecosystems vulnerable.

Submissions for the consultation closed in March 2024, and no timeframe has been outlined for a decision.

Table one: Four key areas for policy update