by Adrian Mullan

The Minister of theEnvironment, Sammy Wilson, said that a relaxation of the current PPS14 provisions could lead to a kick-starting of the building industry here and that what he is proposing would allow a sizeable number of applications to go ahead but without opening the floodgates.

However, he said that the opposition to his plan by the SDLP and Sinn Fein meant that there was something of an impasse at present which meant that everyone was stuck with the older, harsher PPS14 provisions. Speaking to the UlsterHerald during his visit to Omagh on Wednesday morning, Minister Wilson, said his proposals would see a lot of planning permission sought by farmers and for replacement dwellings to go ahead, he said it would also create an opportunity for the building of affordable homes. It was put to the minister that being an urban dweller he might not fully appreciate rural issues with regard to planning.

He said that he was aware of all of the issues through his constituency work in East Antrim over the past five years work and that whereas he understood some people's disappointment, it was necessary to have some limits on planning.

"My view of it is that we have to get the right balance between the countryside being a place where people work and where they live, and yet remain an asset to Northern Ireland. I don't think that anybody wants to see a free-for-all that would make the countryside one huge development site, on the other hand we've got to be sensitive to the needs of the people who need to live in the countryside. I thought that we had a good deal on the draft PPS14 which would have dealt with a lot of the issues while at the same time holding the line against unbridled development but unfortunately we haven't been able to get political agreement on it."

He agreed that the relaxation could kick start the construction industry and that there were fifteen hundred applications in the system at present which have been put on hold, many of those would be successful if the PPS14 which I am proposing were to be enacted. There is potential there I don't know how many of the 1,500 applications would get through but a sizeable portion would get through and that would kick-start the building industry in some areas. Both Sinn Fein and the SDLP are holding back the ability for me to bring forward a policy document and the danger is that instead of being able to bring forward a more relaxed policy, we have to stick with the existing policy.

On the separate matter of the devolving of policing powers the Minister said that there was still an onus on Sinn Fein to deliver in certain areas to build public confidence.

"There must be absolute confidence in the community in those who are in charge of policing. Sinn Fein has got some work to do in creating that confidence, things like the Quinn murder, the McCartney murder and the way that Sinn Fein has handled that has not engendered too much confidence ... We want policing devolved but not if it's going to cause more friction, or if it's going to be a burden around our necks financially.

"I'm not going to deny that Sinn Fein has taken a leap forward, and in fact we take some credit for that because we said there would be no devolution until we saw a changed attitude towards policing, and there has been."