NI Planning Authority of the Year Winner
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
The planning team, located in Omagh and Enniskillen, is representative of the communities that live, work and visit the Council area, one which is rural, with multiple areas of deprivation and trans-boundary links with ROI.A range of functions are covered, including surveying, geography, GIS, heritage, minerals, place shaping, renewables, IT and education through varied skill sets, expertise and backgrounds. The diversity of the team is well balanced in terms of gender, religion, physical diversity, neurodiversity and a number of female staff are pregnant or returned from maternity leave. The team includes one QUB student and two staff from the REAP Programme, which supports individuals from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances into employment. Working across multiple complex work streams, the team has demonstrated leadership, innovation and problem-solving skills, with an excellent team spirit and dynamic. The team understands the value of inclusion, trust, dignity, respect and learning and development. The team has faced many challenges the loss of a long-standing and highly respected colleague through a sudden bereavement. The team responded to these tragic circumstances by uniting through their loss and being there for each other. The FODC planning team is very special. This is evident in their collective ambition to deliver real change and improvement locally, reflected in the team’s many achievements.
Judges‘ comment: "FODC have tackled a range of key challenges post-Covid by reviewing and changing their Business as Usual approach. The locally based planning team demonstrate a range of attributes focusing on leadership, resilience, innovation, adaptability and cohesion. They have a wide-ranging team with an extensive skills set that provides a blanced approach. The Planning Team at Fermanagh & Omagh District Council (FODC) have demonstrated a high level of commitment to the delivery of a professional planning service. Their dedication resulted in the the FODC Plan Strategy being the first to adopted in Northern Ireland"