The Planning Service was an agency within the Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland), which regulated the development and the use of land in the public interest and whose functions have been taken over by the Department for Infrastructure.

[4] The Town and Country Planning Service was established in 1973 when the responsibilities of local planning authorities briefly passed to the Ministry of Development and later to the Department of the Housing, Local Government and Planning before being integrated into the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland.

In April 1996, the Town and Country Planning Service became an Executive Agency of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland, known as "The Planning Service".

[citation needed][5] Following devolution of authority to the Northern Ireland Executive in 1998, the "Department of The Environment for Northern Ireland" was renamed "The Department of The Environment".

The Planning Service continues to operates an Executive agency within the Department of The Environment.