The toughest penalties in the UK, including jail, for those who flout planning laws are to be introduced in Northern Ireland, it was announced yesterday.
"Spot-listing" to give immediate protection to buildings at risk of demolition, major increases in fines and a greater role for local councils are included in legislation by a Northern Ireland junior minister, Ms Angela Smith.
Fines for breaches of enforcement notices will rocket by 600 per cent from £5,000 to £30,000 sterling, greater than anywhere else in the UK.
Those who demolish or alter a listed building without consent could be jailed for up to two years, she announced.
The new laws are expected to come into force by the spring after the draft Planning (Amendment) (NI) Order 2003 is laid before the House of Commons on Monday week.
Had such powers been in force last year the Department of Environment (DoE) would have been able to stop the demolition by a developer of the former Belfast home of Nobel prize-winner Seamus Heaney.
The order, when approved, will take forward the provisions of two key Bills which were under consideration by the Northern Assembly prior to suspension.
Importantly, said Ms Smith, the order would enhance the DoE's planning enforcement powers and enable enforcement action to be taken more quickly and effectively.
"For the first time the DoE will have spot-listing powers. These will allow us to move much more quickly when buildings are at risk.
"And for those who demolish or alter a listed building without consent, the courts will have imprisonment as an option," she said.
It will be company bosses - those with the legal responsibility - who face time in a prison cell, said the minister.