The two groups are made up of key industry and business stakeholders as well as planning and environmental experts and are part of a range of interventions the Minister is pushing to improve and reshape the planning system.
They are expected to report to the Minister with their findings and recommendations by the end of October this year.
Speaking at a meeting of the Planning Forum Alex Attwood said:
"The interventions I am proposing aim to do exactly what we need them to do: deliver a planning system that will favour economic growth. The two groups that I have set up today will help me realise those plans by looking at real ways in which we can change the planning system for the better. They will work to tight 33 day timeframes to begin with. I am also intensifying efforts to simplify and streamline the planning system in order to make it more effective and efficient, providing applicants and the development industry with greater certainty and speed of decision making."
The Minister added:
"With the full effect of the economic downturn now being felt, it is more crucial than ever to make this a priority. All of government activity, including planning and regulation should support economic development to ensure that Northern Ireland is a better place to live, work and invest in."
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