Contract awarded for Planning IT System

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and 10 councils have jointly awarded a contract for a new regional planning IT system.

TerraQuest has won the contract to deliver the modern, user-friendly system on behalf of the Department and 10 local councils, as well as providing on-going support for the new system until at least 2030.

The new system will replace the existing Northern Ireland Planning Portal (NIPP) which is reaching the end of its operational life. A joint investment of £14million will be made in developing the new planning IT system for Northern Ireland, benefiting both customers and staff. The new modernised planning IT system will facilitate a more responsive and efficient planning service across both local and central government, including bringing key services like the submission of applications online. This increased use of technology and on line processing will be of significant benefit, in supporting economic recovery in the context of COVID-19.

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The current system supports the planning system with over 12,000 planning applications per year. It is used by over 700 staff, over 500 consultees and thousands of citizens annually.

It is expected that the new system will be phased in from late 2021 to early 2022 and users will be informed of the changes within each council area, at the appropriate time.

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