
2006 No. 276
PLANNING
The Planning (Electronic Communications) Order (Northern Ireland) 2006
Made 22nd June 2006
Coming into operation 1st August 2006

The Department of the Environment makes the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 1 and 2(6) of the Electronic Communications Act (Northern Ireland) 2001.
The Department is the appropriate department for the purposes of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991.

In accordance with section 1(3) of that Act the Department considers that the authorisation of the use of electronic communications or electronic storage for any purpose is such that the extent (if any) to which records of such things done for that purpose will be available will be no less satisfactory in cases where use is made of electronic communications or electronic storage than in other cases.
Citation, commencement and interpretation
1 
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Insertion of definitions and interpretation provisions
2 
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Service of Notices and Documents
3 
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Electronic publication of notices of applications
4 
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Postal addresses to be provided in certain notices
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Amendment of Planning (Conservation Areas) (Demolition) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1988
6 
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Amendment of the Planning (Development Plans) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991
7 
The Planning (Development Plans) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991 shall be amended in accordance with Schedule 2.
Amendment of Planning (Listed Buildings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992
8 
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Amendment of the Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992
9 
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Amendment of the Planning (Hazardous Substances) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993
10 
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Amendment of the Planning (General Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 1993
11 
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Amendment of the Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999
12 
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Amendment of the Planning (Trees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003
13 
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Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of the Environment on 22nd June 2006.
Marianne Fleming
A senior officer of the
Department

SCHEDULE 1
Amendment of the Planning (Conservation Areas) (Demolition) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1988
Article 6
1 
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2 
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SCHEDULE 2
Amendment of the Planning (Development Plans) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991
Article 7
1 

(1) Regulation 2 (interpretation) shall be amended as follows.
(2) In paragraph (1)—
(a) after the definition of “the Directive” there shall be inserted the following definition—“
 “electronic communication” has the meaning assigned to it by section 4 of the Electronic Communications Act (Northern Ireland) 2001.”;
(b) in the definition of “local advertisement”, after the words “replacement of a development plan;” there shall be inserted “and where the Department maintains a website for the purpose of advertisement, by publication of the notice on the website;”.
(3) After paragraph (3) there shall be inserted the following paragraphs—“
(4) In these Regulations, and in relation to the use of electronic communications for any purpose of these Regulations which is capable of being carried out electronically—
(a) the expression “address” includes any number or address used for the purpose of such communications;
(b) references to notices or other documents or to copies of such things include references to such documents or copies of them in electronic form.
(5) Paragraphs (6) to (9) apply where an electronic communication is used by a person for the purpose of fulfilling any requirement in these Regulations to give or send any notice or other document to any other person (“the recipient”).
(6) The requirement shall be taken to be fulfilled where the notice or other document transmitted by means of electronic communication is—
(a) capable of being accessed by the recipient;
(b) legible in all material respects; and
(c) sufficiently permanent to be used for subsequent reference.
(7) In paragraph (6), “legible in all material respects” means that the information contained in the notice or document is available to the recipient to no lesser extent than it would be if sent or given by means of a document in printed form.
(8) Where the electronic communication is received by the recipient outside the recipient’s business hours, it shall be taken to have been received on the next working day; and for this purpose “working day” means a day which is not a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday.
(9) A requirement in these Regulations that any document should be in writing is fulfilled where that document meets the criteria in paragraph (6), and “written” and cognate expressions are to be construed accordingly.”.
2 
After regulation 14 (notice of adoption of a development plan), insert—“
Use of electronic communications
14A 

(1) Paragraph (2) applies where a person uses electronic communications for any of the following purposes—
(a) making representations about proposals under regulation 3;
(b) making objections to the making, alteration, etc. of a development plan under regulation 4;
(c) making representations about an objection under regulation 4A.
(2) In a case to which this paragraph applies, and except where a contrary intention appears, the person making the objection or representation shall be taken to have agreed—
(a) to the use of electronic communications for all purposes relating to the objection or representation (as the case may be) which are capable of being effected using such communications;
(b) that the address for the purpose of such communications is the address incorporated into, or otherwise logically associated with, the objection or representation;
(c) that the person’s deemed agreement under this paragraph shall subsist until he gives notice in writing that he wishes to revoke the agreement and such withdrawal or revocation shall be final and shall take effect on a date specified by him in the notice but not less than seven days after the date on which the notice is given.”.
SCHEDULE 3
Amendment of the Planning (Listed Buildings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992
Article 8
1 
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2 
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SCHEDULE 4
Amendment of the Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992
Article 9
1 
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2 
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3 
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SCHEDULE 5
Amendment of the Planning (Hazardous Substances) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993
Article 10
1 
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2 
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3 
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SCHEDULE 6
Amendment of the Planning (General Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 1993
Article 11
1 
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2 
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3 
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SCHEDULE 7
Amendment of the Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999
Article 12
1 
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2 
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3 
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4 
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SCHEDULE 8
Amendment of the Planning (Trees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003
Article 13
1 
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2 
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