Permitted Development for Agricultural Buildings and Anaerobic Digestion Plant

The proposals set out by the Department of the Environment is to amend Part 6 of Schedule 1 to the Planning (General Development) Order (NI) 1993. Although it is recognised that while permitted development rights should permit farmers to proceed with modest development of their land, it needs to be in scale and in character and should not create adverse impact on the landscape, to amenity or to the environmental quality of the land itself.

Also recommended that Permitted Development rights be introduced to provide for the installation alteration or replacement of structures to house anaerobic digestion plant on agricultural units subject to the recommended limitations but with the ground area of the plant not to exceed 500m2. It should be noted however that excluding the importation of feedstock may be a significant limiting factor on the size of Anaerobic Digestion plant permitted under the proposals.