Omagh District Councillor, Pat McDonnell, has expressed concern at the long delay in issuing the verdict on the Planning Policy 14 case.

The Council took the lead on forcing a judicial review on this controversial policy and the High Court case concluded on June 27. Although an early verdict was promised, there has been no communication since.

Councillor, an opponent of PPS14 since its sudden implementation in March 2006, said "PPS14 continues to cause distress to all concerned. Planning officers seem to be opting for more extreme interpretations of this ill-constructed policy as time goes on. For example, it has become virtually impossible to get a replacement site for an old building. If the building concerned is in fair order, the applicant is turned down on the grounds that it could be restored. If the building is in poor order, the Department lapses into a rigmarole on the theme of 'abandonment' and 'evidence of the owner's intention'. The upshot of this nonsense is that decrepit structures of no heritage value will litter the landscape while their owners would be very willing to replace them with sensitively-designed rural dwelings."

He concluded, 'While the legal system takes its time, applicants, agents, and councillors continue to wrestle with the nonsense which is PPS14."