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Leader Live
2 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Wrexham ‘unable to resist speculative developments'
Counsel general Julie James was quizzed about Wrexham's LDP – a key document guiding future developments, which has been mired in controversy with councillors twice rejecting it. In December, Mark Jones, a Plaid Cymru councillor, led a successful Court of Appeal case – with the court ruling that the council did not have to adopt an LDP. The Welsh Government was denied permission to appeal to the Supreme Court, with Ms James telling the Senedd on Tuesday that ministers accept and respect the decision. But she warned: 'Wrexham has no plan in place. And the difficulty for Wrexham then is that, in resisting speculative developments, not having a plan in place is a real problem…. 'Legal threats' 'The real issue here is how we can work with Wrexham Council to get a plan that will enable them to resist speculative development and have the kind of development that they and we both want in a timely fashion. 'At the moment, there's no quick route to that but we are very happy to work with the council to get into that position.' During counsel general questions in the Senedd on June 17, Mabon ap Gwynfor pressed Ms James about the precedent and implications arising from the case for all 22 Welsh councils. The Plaid Cymru Senedd member said: 'Take away all of the noise surrounding the issue, the fact that the ruling was in favour of the councillors and against large developers and this government makes it clear that local democracy should be respected. 'Other LDPs that were heavily amended by this government were challenged by councillors but ultimately adopted because councillors were told that they had to adopt them or risk being taken to court.' 'Three options' Ms James told the Senedd that Wrexham now has three choices: 'They can ask the Welsh Government to withdraw the plan and start again. 'They can leave the current LDP as an emerging plan and continue from there, to go back through the process, or they can ask us to adopt the plan for them. It's a matter for them to decide which of those to do. MOST READ 'We've always taken the view… the council should adopt its own plan, and not step in across them to do that although the Welsh Government has the power to do that, just to be clear. Much of the discussion with Wrexham was about the fact that we didn't want to do that.' Ms James added: 'We accept the court has decided the rules are different to the way we've been interpreting them and that's something that has to be taken into account going forward. We'll have to look again at what those rules look like and how to adjust the system for that.' She shut down suggestions other LDPs could be revisited, saying all other plans have been adopted 'so there isn't an option for them to unadopt the plan at this point'.
Business News Wales
06-06-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Planning Reform Is Vital for Wales' Housing Future
The two governments in Westminster and Cardiff Bay have often taken very different approaches to housing and planning. While the Labour Government in England has pressed ahead with ambitious planning reforms, the Welsh Government has, until now, largely avoided such changes. Could this be about to change? There appears to be a growing recognition in Cardiff Bay that planning reforms will be needed to deliver the Welsh Government's target of 20,000 social rented homes as well as its broader housing ambitions. For instance, the First Minister, Eluned Morgan, has made speeding up planning a top priority, and a consultation earlier this year outlined plans to increase Local Planning Authority (LPA) performance and resources. The recently released Affordable Housing Taskforce report is the latest sign of a positive shift in sentiment and sets out a series of ambitious proposals for reforms to both national planning policy and the planning process. Many of the recommendations bear similarities to measures already underway in England through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Will the Welsh Government seize the opportunities the Taskforce has set out? Affordable Housing Taskforce Chaired by backbench Member of the Senedd (MS) Lee Waters, the Taskforce aimed to identify both short- and long-term barriers to Affordable Housing delivery. HBF submitted written evidence and met with Waters to provide input. The context of the Taskforce's work is extremely challenging. Housing supply levels in Wales are falling year-on-year, and in 2023-24 just 4,771 new homes were completed – the second-lowest year on record and far below the peak of over 9,000 new homes in 2006-07. The home building industry is a major player in Affordable Housing provision, delivering 45% of all new affordable homes between 2021 and 2023 via Section 106 (S106) agreements – and so making a significant contribution to the Welsh Government's 20,000 social homes target. This is an important and often overlooked point, as with the delivery of affordable units so closely tied to private development, any fall in market housing delivery inevitably reduces the number of S106 Affordable Homes coming forward. Constraints on housing delivery previously identified To unlock housing delivery across all tenures, we have consistently highlighted several key constraints on development in Wales: • Time-expired Local Development Plans (LDPs) which contain unviable and undeliverable housing allocations.• Delays relating to statutory consultee responses and SuDS Approval Bodies (SABs).• Under-resourced Local Planning Authorities (LPAs). • No requirement for councils to calculate a housing land supply since Technical Advice Notice 1 (TAN1) was revoked in 2020, making it very difficult to progress sites which are not allocated in LDPs. Taskforce recommendations The Taskforce's recommendations reflect many of these concerns. For instance, it recommended that land identified as suitable for housing in LDPs should have a presumption towards development. If implemented, this could be transformational and help stop allocated sites from being delayed or even refused once an application is submitted. However, there must be accompanying incentives for LDPs to be kept up to date in the first place to ensure an adequate supply of deliverable allocated sites. Many of the Taskforce's other recommendations are squarely aimed at addressing the key causes of planning delays, such as proposing that LPAs no longer wait for statutory consultees past their response deadlines and establishing multidisciplinary 'development teams' within councils to resolve delays – reflecting England's 'New Homes Accelerator' teams and statutory consultee reviews. The Taskforce also called for greater delegated powers for planning officers on smaller schemes, raising the major development threshold to 50 dwellings, and introducing a national scheme of delegation, all of which could significantly accelerate housing delivery and support SME home builders. What next? Of course, while many of the Taskforce's recommendations reflect those included in England's Planning and Infrastructure Bill, Wales' approach to housing is and will rightly continue to be distinct from that in England. For instance, it is extremely positive that the Help to Buy Wales scheme remains in place, providing vital support for first-time buyers and confidence for industry, while no such support scheme is in place in England. Furthermore, the Welsh Government's policy priority continues to be Affordable Housing, whereas in England, there is a greater focus on a general uplift in supply of all housing tenures. However, despite these differences, both governments now recognise the urgent need to deliver more homes and speed up planning. But how many of the Taskforce's recommendations will the Welsh Government implement – and when? It is positive that the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Jayne Bryant, has accepted the recommendations that fall to her and has set up an implementation group to oversee them (although the recommendations related to planning fall under a different minister). Some recommendations could be implemented relatively quickly, while on the other hand, many of the more systemic recommendations, such as a presumption towards development for land identified in the LDP, would require new legislation and consultation, and so are unlikely to be implemented soon. As a result, with the next Senedd election due in May 2026 and the possibility of a Reform or Plaid Cymru-led government, some of the more ambitious recommendations are at risk of being delayed or shelved. What role can HBF play in these debates? Looking ahead to next year's Senedd elections, HBF is actively seeking responses from home builders on what changes the next Welsh Government can make to planning and housing policy to further support the industry, and we will continue to push for changes to boost housing delivery of all tenures in the years ahead.
Business News Wales
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Business News Wales
Will Planning Become an Election Battleground in Wales?
It's been nearly a year since Labour took over at Number 10 and in that time, it has made sweeping changes to the planning system. In its effort to 'Get Britain Building Again' the changes seek to enhance housing delivery and to amend long established Green Belt policy to allow housing development in appropriate circumstances. However, the changes to the planning system in England will not impact Wales as planning is devolved to Welsh Government. Unlike England, Wales has had no mandatory housing targets since the removal of TAN1 in March 2020 which required local authorities to produce joint housing land availability studies, and changes in national policy (Planning Policy Wales) which removed the need to have a five-year housing land supply. This was replaced by monitoring housing delivery based on trajectories set in Local Development Plans (LDPs), which – based on the Welsh housing delivery figures – has not been successful in meeting the challenge of providing sufficient new homes since 2020. Although there are now Labour Governments in both Wales and England, this does not mean there is an increased likelihood Wales will be influenced by English policy. It seems likely the current system in Wales will be in place for the foreseeable future. For the current housing delivery approach in Wales to work effectively it requires up-to-date LDPs that take forward the new standards in relation to housing requirements introduced in 2020, deliverable allocations and the formulation of robust housing trajectories. Of the 22 LPAs in Wales only four have an up-to-date plan which accounts for the changes for monitoring housing delivery (Bridgend, Flintshire, Merthyr Tydfil and Wrexham). Wrexham is a special case, with an ongoing legal battle between the council and Welsh Government which has now reached the Supreme Court, placing uncertainty on whether the recently adopted plan will be withdrawn. Without up-to-date LDPs or an alternative national policy approach there is little incentive in Wales to ensure that LPAs are delivering the required amount of housing. This has led to annual completions being below targets, with 2023/24 completions equating to 5,161 dwellings. This is set against Future Wales: National Plan need of 7,400 dwellings per annum over the first five years of the plan – which has not been met in any year since its adoption. Although the initial implementation of Welsh Labour's housing delivery policy through the planning system did not deliver the intended result due to slow delivery of new LDPs, 18 councils are reviewing their plans, with adoption for most of these planned by 2026/27. Once adopted this may lead to the increased housing delivery Welsh Labour hoped for, primarily managed through allocations. Or it will demonstrate that without a national exception policy to allow speculative development to meet the ever-growing housing need, housing growth in Wales will continue to be stymied. Currently, the UK Government is taking steps to address the housing shortfall within England. However, it appears in Wales that the Welsh Government has yet to address the housing shortfall with the current policy approach. Without a step change in Welsh Government thinking it is unlikely the situation in Wales will change. With Welsh Government elections looming in May 2026, housing delivery may become a similar key policy issue for political parties, mirroring the political battlegrounds of the Westminster elections. For all involved, the stakes remain high and the housing crisis in Wales rumbles on. Whether Welsh Labour or another political party can deliver housing at scale via the planning system remains to be determined. However, we will see if the elections crystalise the issue.
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
The row over a Welsh village field that's set to rumble on
The row over a Welsh village field that's set to rumble on There are plans to redevelop the field but a campaign group want it to be protected for the community A member of Vale of Glamorgan Council's public protection committee, Cllr Chris Franks, raised concerns about the selection of a chair for the public enquiry (Image: Ted Peskett ) A Welsh community's fight to protect a field in their village from development has taken another turn. The Save Sully and Lavernock Group submitted an application in 2021 to turn a piece of land off South Road in Sully, known as Glebe Fields, into a village green after it was considered for development by Vale of Glamorgan Council. Campaigners, who hope turning the field into a village green will protect it, have been told that their application will now go to a public enquiry. Members of Vale of Glamorgan Council's public protection committee were told in a meeting on Tuesday, May 13 that the enquiry will allow the application to be dealt with transparently after the charity that owns the land objected to it. However, one councillor raised concerns about how the council will be able to come across as fair and transparent when it is the sole trustee of the charity, Vale of Glamorgan Welsh Church Fund, and when it is the one appointing an independent chair for the enquiry. Cllr Franks said: "Is that a good look? Will people understand the fine differences between the trust and the council when the trust is made up of councillors? "How can members of the public be reassured that the independent chair is in fact independent and will judge the matter in an impartial manner?" Article continues below Vale of Glamorgan Council considered Glebe Fields as a candidate site for its local development plan (LDP). Council's use LDPs to decide which sites can be used for future development, including house building and industrial or commercial activity. A GoFundMe page set up by campaigners to raise funds ahead of a public enquiry said Glebe Fields has been used for leisure activities by the local community for centuries and that a successful village green application will give residents continued "unrestrained" use of the land for leisure. Vale of Glamorgan Welsh Church Fund objected to the village green application with its chief argument being that it doesn't think enough people use Glebe Fields for sports and other pastimes. A solicitor at Vale of Glamorgan Council, Jocelyn Ham, said the local authority will appoint a suitably qualified independent chairperson from a group of barristers specialising in town or village green applications. In response to Cllr Franks' comments, she said: "We will approach a number of counsel... firstly I suppose [to] ask them about their availability. "The very nature of their role is they are independent anyway and further to that... we are acting then as the registration authority. "I don't see how else we can overcome a perceived perception of not being impartial." Ms Ham went on to add: "We will have a procurement set up for all of our matters when we need to instruct a barrister so we will probably select somebody from that list. "They will be an expert in that particular area and they will understand the need to be impartial in making recommendations to the committee." The Church of England in Wales was disestablished under The Welsh Church Act 1914 and its property and funds were distributed to various trusts. Each of these trusts, overseen by councils in the areas they correspond to, look after the property and funds and make grants for a wide range of purposes including supporting education, social and recreational facilities, charities, healthcare and the arts. Article continues below Vale of Glamorgan Council's website describes The Welsh Church Act fund in the county as a charitable trust that's independent of the council. The Charity Commission's website has Vale of Glamorgan Council listed as the sole trustee of Vale of Glamorgan Welsh Church Fund.
Wales Online
30-04-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Housing site that could have delivered hundreds of homes is scrapped
Housing site that could have delivered hundreds of homes is scrapped There was a lot of opposition to the potential housing site in north east Barry, but the council is now saying it won't be considered due to "deliverability" issues Vale of Glamorgan Council is no longer considering a controversial housing site in Barry (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) A site in Barry that could have delivered hundreds of homes is no longer being considered by Vale of Glamorgan Council due to concerns over its future deliverability. The local authority recently announced that it hopes to put plans for new housing sites in Barry out for consultation soon. One of the three sites, land near Weycock Cross in north west Barry, replaces the originally proposed site between Argae Lane and the Barry Docks link road in north east Barry. There were concerns over the deliverability of this site after doubts emerged over whether or not the parcels of land that made up the proposed allocation would be sold. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here Vale of Glamorgan Council's cabinet member for community engagement, Cllr Ruba Sivagnanam, said: "The population of Barry is growing, meaning so is demand for homes, particularly affordable housing. 'In order to meet this need, the Council has identified three sites in the town for possible housing development, the largest being near Weycock Cross. 'If agreed by Cabinet, a consultation exercise will begin shortly, offering all interested parties the chance to share their thoughts on the proposals. Article continues below 'We want everyone to have quality homes in safe neighbourhoods and believe developing sites such as these will help deliver that.' The council's proposed housing sites are linked to its plan for future development, also known as the Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP). A plan of the site in north east Barry (Image: Vale of Glamorgan Council ) Local Development Plans (LDPs) are used by councils to determine which sites are used for housing and which sites are used for industrial development. They are also used to lay out which sites should be protected from development. The proposed sites for housing in Barry that could go out to consultation are as follows: Land at Hayes Lane in the Bendricks - 54 homes Land at Neptune Way on Barry Waterfront - 40 homes Land near Weycock Cross in north west Barry - 376 homes Under the original proposal for the RLDP, the north east Barry site was earmarked for 900 homes. The council said the site could eventually help deliver 1,500 homes, but 900 of these were proposed to be delivered during the RLDP period (2021-2036). Some objections were raised about the use of this site, with residents living nearby fearing a loss of green space and the potential strain on roads and local services. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) also raised concerns in relation to the proposed scale of development and the site's proximity to the Barry Woodlands Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). In terms of why the council has decided not to use this site, all it said in its most recent statement was that it "is no longer being considered due to concerns about deliverability". A council cabinet report says that whilst the council received statements of intent from landowners to sell the land on site, they did not get sufficient evidence to guarantee that this would happen. The report states: "Whilst statements of intent to release the site for development have been received by the Council for a number of the development parcels, as the plan progresses there is a need for further certainty from all parties in the form of appropriate evidence, such as signed heads of terms, demonstrating commitment from the respective landowners that there is a common agreement on the delivery of the site. "The Council has actively engaged with the site promoters and landowner representatives throughout the process. "However, insufficient evidence has been received in respect of full landowner agreement to give sufficient confidence that a site of the scale originally envisaged can be brought forward within the plan period. "Further time spent seeking to resolve these matters will lead to significant delays to the RLDP timetable. "Whilst a smaller site involving fewer landowners could potentially be delivered, this would result in a smaller quantum of development that would be unable to support the proposed mix of uses that are deemed critical to the effective placemaking of this site, and relate poorly to the existing settlement pattern. "In addition, it would be more challenging to deliver the active travel improvements necessary to reduce the car dependency of the location." Vale of Glamorgan Council said the area in north west Barry is being considered "as it is in a suitable location within reasonable walking and cycling distance of Barry station and range of other services and facilities". If they had gone ahead with the site to the north east of the town, it would have required improvements to infrastructure, including the upgrading of highways and pedestrian and cycle access from Gilbert Lane and Argae Lane. Article continues below The closest rail link is Cadoxton Railway Station, which is about 1km away. If the council's cabinet members approve the latest proposals at a meeting on Thursday, May 1, there will be an in-person engagement event to discuss them and there will also be a chance for people to share their thoughts online and by telephone.
