SDLP Councillor Tina Gardiner has stated that the local council “must lead the way” by ensuring future planning decisions give proper consideration to the needs of disabled people.
At last week’s Planning Committee in the Guildhall, the Waterside representative asked officials to produce a report on how the rights of people with disabilities are considered when granting permission for planning applications.
Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Gardiner said: “As a Council we have control of planning and it is within our gift to improve standards for people with disabilities. The Local Development Plan, which determines land use proposals and guides development decisions, has very little reference to disability access and the rights of disabled people and this should change.
“There are many development proposals for Derry’s city centre and shared spaces throughout the district, and we should do all in our power to ensure that disability access is at the forefront when granting permission.
“We have an excellent opportunity to make Derry and the wider district a world leader in disability access and we must grasp it. Derry should be a disability friendly city and a good start would be to ensure all planning decisions are made with disabled access as a key factor.”
Councillor Gardiner concluded: “Equality is what everyone seems to be talking about at the minute, but not delivering. If we are serious about valuing all people equally, then we need to make it explicit in the Local Development Plan. This is a blueprint for how we want the region to develop and it must include measures to protect and enhance accessibility for disabled people.”
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