At this week’s full Bridgend Council meeting, a majority of councillors backed the submission of the new county Local Development Plan.
The Local Development Plan sets out how land will be used in the county until 2033. You can read more about the new LDP in the following articles:
Corporate Director for Communities, Janine Nightingale, said the LDP is one of the most important strategies the council sets. The LDP ensures the council’s planning policies contribute towards sustainable development and are coordinated so there isn’t a free for all by developers.
Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr. John Spanswick (Lab, Brackla West Central), thanked the team behind the new LDP. He reiterated that the LDP is “one of the most important decisions the council will make” during this term.
Most of the contributions from councillors focused on specific proposals in the LDP (which seems a bit late to me given that they were being asked to approve the whole thing).
For the sake of time, I’m not going to go through every single one and will focus on more general points.
Councillors assured on sustainable transport and affordable housing
Cllr. Ian Spiller (Ind, Bryntirion Laleston & Merthyr Mawr) said it was “regrettable” that a council elected only five months ago has to decide on something so important. Several councillors made the point that a decision should’ve been taken by the previous council.
In response, the Corporate Director said the Welsh Government changed flooding guidance which required the removal of the Parc Afon Ewenni site and reworking elsewhere. There was also a deadline for the end of October 2022 to approve the LDP for submission.
(That begs the question as to why September’s full council meeting – cancelled because of the death of the Queen – wasn’t promptly rearranged later in the month instead of being abandoned altogether?)
There were several queries from councillors about transport and air quality, with assurances given that public transport, walking and cycling would be prioritised for new developments.
Following a question from Cllr. Steven Bletsoe (Ind, Bridgend Central) on housing availability, councillors were told the LDP provides for 1,595 “affordable” homes. These would be split between traditional social housing for rent and low-cost home ownership for first-time buyers spread across all sites allocated in the plan.
In a recorded vote, councillors voted 38 in favour (of the LDP submission), 4 against with 2 abstentions.
The LDP will now be submitted to Planning & Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) for examination by planning inspectors.
