Orla Kelly is a leading planning and environmental lawyer in Northern Ireland who joined Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s Planning & Environment team in October 2025. With over a decade of experience advising public and private sector clients, Orla brings deep expertise across all facets of planning and environmental law.
In this feature, Orla reflects on her role within the firm, explores emerging trends and opportunities within Northern Ireland’s planning landscape, and shares the key career lessons that have shaped her professional journey.
Tell us about your role?
I am an Associate Director in the Planning & Environment team with over 10 years’ experience advising public and private sector clients on the full spectrum of planning and environmental law. I support clients throughout the entire lifecycle of a project from pre application strategy and engagement through to determination. I regularly advise on the instigation and defence of judicial reviews from the pre-action stage to conclusion. I also advise clients in planning appeals and public inquiries before the Planning Appeals Commission and provide guidance in relation to Environmental Impact Assessments, Habitats Regulations Assessments, environmental permitting, planning and environmental due diligence and enforcement matters.
How did you come to specialise in Planning & Environmental law?
I started my career as a litigator and developed a specialism in planning and environmental law through a strong grounding in litigation and public law. Early exposure to judicial reviews, statutory appeals, enforcement matters and challenges to public authority decision making gave me a clear understanding of how regulatory frameworks operate in practice. Many of these cases involved planning or environmental issues and I became increasingly drawn to the fast moving and multidisciplinary nature of the work.
What ultimately attracted me to this area was the combination of complex legal analysis, strategic problem solving and the opportunity to collaborate with a wide range of professionals from planners and environmental consultants to architects, designers and technical specialists. Planning and environmental law brings all of these elements together while influencing how places evolve and how projects are delivered. That blend of challenge, collaboration and real world impact is what led me to focus my practice in this area.
Are there any key opportunities or challenges facing the Northern Ireland planning sector currently?
The NI planning sector continues to face well known challenges including persistent delays in plan making and decision taking which creates uncertainty for applicants and communities. These delays are compounded by resourcing and skills shortages across planning authorities and statutory consultees affecting the processing of applications and overall performance. Increasing procedural complexity around climate obligations, Environmental Impact Assessments and Habitats Regulations Assessments adds further pressure, while wastewater capacity constraints continue to delay key housing and development proposals.
Despite these pressures, there are opportunities for improvement. Recent legislative reforms, including the Planning (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 introduce enhanced digital engagement tools and greater flexibility for planning authorities aimed at supporting more streamlined processes.
The adoption of new Local Development Plans similarly presents a real opportunity by offering greater clarity and certainty for bringing forward development proposals.
Building on this, the publication of SPPS Edition 2 provides a more up-to-date policy framework with strengthened provisions for renewable and low carbon energy including support for repowering and expansion of renewable infrastructure and recognition of emerging technologies such as battery storage and green hydrogen.
The Department for Infrastructure is progressing its wider Planning Improvement Programme, including direct engagement with councils to identify operational barriers, improve practice and support greater consistency across the system. The Department is also working with stakeholders and external regulators to gather evidence and inform the next phase of improvement actions. In parallel, the Department is reviewing the recommendations of the Interim Regional Planning Commission which submitted its report in November 2025 setting out proposed long term structural reforms with a formal departmental response to follow.
Overall, while recent reforms and improvement initiatives offer a framework for progress, the system continues to face significant pressures and further measures will be necessary to address the underlying issues.
What has been the most important lesson you have learned in your career so far?
One of the most important lessons I have learned in my career is that early, clear communication and constructive engagement are essential to achieving positive outcomes for clients. Taking the time to explore issues at an early stage with clients, colleagues and technical specialists helps to define the scope of a matter, manage risk and ensure that decisions are well informed.
This approach strengthens trust, supports effective collaboration and consistently leads to more robust and defensible planning solutions.
What’s one skill that helps your most in your role?
The skill that assists me most in my role is the ability to analyse complex planning and environmental issues and provide advice that is clear, focused and aligned with the client’s strategic objectives.
The application of planning law is determined by the specific factual context of each case and legislation, policy and case law must be interpreted accordingly. Therefore, keeping up to date with emerging case law, as well as ongoing developments in policy and the wider regulatory framework is essential in navigating this area of practice. The ability to apply these developments with accuracy and to communicate their implications clearly is central to effective risk management and informed decision making. This ensures that clients receive robust and commercially focused advice that enables them to advance their projects with confidence.
Find out more about Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s Planning & Environment services here.
How can we help you?
Call us on the Belfast number below or send us a message and one of our team will be in touch.
028 9024 3141Send us a Message