Development Plan Process

What is the Local Development Plan?

Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the Council is required to prepare an Local Development Plan (LDP) for the County Borough. When adopted the LDP will replace the existing three local plans.

The LDP will provide the development strategy and policy framework for the County Borough over a fifteen-year period, from 2006 to 2021. It will be used by the Council to guide and control development, providing a basis by which planning applications can be determined consistently and appropriately.

As a part of the LDP process, the Council has and intends to continue engagment with residents, service users, stakeholders and partners in a meaningful and cost effective way.

A summary of the timetable for the development of the LDP can be viewed here.

The Local Development Plan Process

The LDP process is cyclical and can be divided into 7 main stages.

1. Review and Develop Evidence Base
2. Delivery Agreement
3. Pre-Deposit Plan Preparation
4. Deposit Plan
5. Submission and Examination
6. Inspectors Report on the Local Development Plan
7. Adoption

Following adoption, the Council is required to make an annual monitoring report to the Assembly Government.

8. Annual Monitoring Report (AMR)

The LDP Preparation Process Diagram can be viewed here.

Candidate Sites Process

An essential element of the LDP evidence base is the identification of land suitable for future development. Land being promoted for future development has been included in the Candidate Sites Process. The Council has received requests to include and promote over 600 areas of land in this process for a range of development proposals. We formally invited and accepted requests, between August/September 2005 and the 31st August 2006, through discussions and meetings with developers and landowners, by advertising the process on this website and through written invitation.The deadline for submission of sites for consideration through the Candidate Site Process was 31st August 2006. The process has now closed and we are unable to accept further sites for inclusion.

The Candidate Sites were assessed in accordance with the Candidate Sites methodology. A report in respect of the candidate sites was presented to Special Development Control Committee 17th September 2008, Cabinet in 15th December 2008 and full Council in 14th January 2009.

Candidate Sites Assessment Methodology

All sites have been considered in accordance with the approved Candidate Sites Assessment Methodology. This document sets out the preferred methodology for the assessment of Candidate Sites. In doing so it identifies the guiding principles for identifying potential new land use allocations that are, consistent with national and regional planning policy and the Sustainability Appraisal / Strategic Environment Assessment objectives.

Candidate Sites Register

A description of all the Strategic and Non-Strategic sites submitted is contained in the Candidate Sites Register. The register can be viewed at Regeneration and Planning, Ty Pennant, Catherine Street, Pontypridd or below on-line.

Candidate Sites Register
Ref. No.	Document name
1	Index of sites
2	Part 1(Sites 3 – 250)
3	Part 2(Sites 251 – 450)
4	Part 3(Sites 451 – 658)

Gaps in the number sequence for the Candidate Sites results from the omission of small sites of 0.3 hectare or less. These were considered as part of the review of settlement boundaries.

Findings of the Candidate Sites Assessment Process

The Council undertook a rigorous assessment of each of the candidate sites during 2007/ 08. The assessment process reviewed 486 sites of 0.3 hectares or more and 172 sites of less than 0.3 hectares. Cabinet and Full Council approved the results of the Candidate Site Assessment Process on 15th December 2008 and the 14th January 2009 respectively.

The Results of the Candidate Sites Assessment Process can be viewed here.

Delivery Agreement

The Delivery Agreement comprises the Local Planning Authority’s timetable for the preparation of the LDP and the Community Involvement Scheme (CIS). The Delivery Agreement has been approved by Full Council and agreed with the Welsh Assembly Government.

The Delivery Agreement can be viewed here.

A record of the consultation undertaken in the development of the Delivery Agreement can be viewed here.

The plan production timetable contained in the Delivery Agreement was revised in January 2007 to reflect changes to the consultation period for the Preferred Strategy. In March 2008 the Council agreed with the Welsh Assembly Government an amendment to the approved plan production timetable.

Pre Deposit Plan Preparation

Early discussion on the strategy, including proposals and land allocations is an important component of the LDP process. At this stage, authorities should discuss strategic issues and alternative scenarios with key stakeholders and ensure locational issues and optional sites form part of the discussion.

As part of the pre deposit participation process in January 2006 the Council held a Visioning Event with Elected Members, members of the LDP Forum and LDP Officer Steering Group to discuss land use issues to be addressed by the LDP and consider strategy options. A report of the event is contained in the Visioning Workshop Report Feb 06.

In July 2006 a meeting of the LDP Forum was held to consider the emerging Preferred Strategy. The discussions that took place during the meeting are documented in the LDP Forum Event Record (July 2006).

In accordance with the Delivery Agreement the Council has prepared an LDP: Preferred Strategy (January 2007). The Preferred Strategy sets out the key aims and objectives for the LDP and indicates the broad locations of growth or protection.

In addition to the Preferred Strategy topic papers have been prepared which outline the background to the housing and employment land requirement figures contained in the plan.

The Preferred Strategy document has been subject to a Sustainability Appraisal / Strategic Environmental Assessment and screened in accordance with the requirements for Appropriate Assessment. The Preferred Strategy Sustainability Appraisal (January 2007) and Appropriate Assessment (January 2007) can be viewed here.

Consultation on the Preferred Strategy took place between11th January – 21st February 2007. A summary of the consultation process and representations received is contained in the Regulation 15 Report of Consultation .

Deposit Plan

The deposit plan sets out the Council’s objectives for the use and development of land and the general policies for implementing them. The LDP will comprise of:-

• a strategy area-wide policies for all development

• allocations of land and related sites

• specific policies and proposals for key areas of change or protection

• reasoned justification for policies; and

• a proposals map on a geographical base

It will be developed as a result of the preceding stages of the LDP process.

For further information or to view the Deposit Local Development Plan and associated documents, please go to the Local Development Plan 2006 – 2021.

Representations Register

The Rhondda Cynon Taf Local Development Plan (LDP) was placed on deposit for a 7-week period between 5th February and 26th March 2009. During this time the Council received 3,260 representations from 1,020 individuals and organisations in respect of the policies and proposals contained in the LDP.

In accordance with the requirements of the Town & Country Planning (Local Development Plan) (Wales) Regulations 2005, the Council has prepared a register of representations received during the deposit period.

The register contains full details of the representations received in respect of the policies and proposals contained in the Deposit Draft LDP. Where possible the Council has sought to reproduce all the information submitted on the representation form in questions 1 to 11. Unfortunately this has not been possible in all cases. Where the representor has not outlined their representation on the form, but relied on supporting information, the Council has had no alternative other than to summarise the representation.

In order to ensure information contained in this register can be easily accessed, the document has been divided into the following parts:

Part A Index of representations in policy order;
Part B Index of representors;
Part C Details of each representation submitted in representor order.

Representations Register
Ref. No.	Document name
1	Introduction to Representations Register
2	Part A – Index or representations (by policy)
3	Part B – Index of Representors
4	Part C – Representations Register Index , Vol. 1 , Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4, Vol. 5, Vol. 6, Vol. 7 (SA/SEA)

In addition to completed representation forms, the Council also received a significant amount of additional / supporting documentation from individual representors. This information includes:

• Detailed Site and Policy Assessments;

• SA/SEA Assessments, and

• Petitions.

Because of the volume of information submitted, it has not been possible to include this additional / supporting documentation in the representations register.
The information is however, available for public inspection and can be viewed at the address shown at the bottom of this page.

Correction

AS (N) 102 – Mountain Ash General Hospital, Mountain Ash

The above alternative site is shown in Part A of the Alternative Site Register as a ‘New Site for residential development’.
The site should be shown in Part B of the register as a site to be included in the residential settlement boundary and has not been submitted as a ‘New Site’.

Alternative Sites

The alternative sites were identified from the site allocation representations that were submitted during the Deposit Consultation, which seek to change the Deposit Local Development Plan by:-

a) adding a site allocation policy to the LDP: or
b) altering or deleting any site allocation policy in the LDP.

A site allocation policy means a policy which allocates a site for a particular use or development.

Representations seeking the allocation of a site for a particular use or development; a change in the size of an allocated site; an amendment to the defined settlement boundaries; and/or the deletion of a site (or part of) allocated for a particular use or development are alternative sites and are contained within the Alternative Sites Register.

Representations seeking to amend designations in the plan, such as Green Wedges, Special Landscape Areas and Mineral Safeguarding Areas were not Alternative Sites. Where representations have been made in respect of non-site allocation policies, these will be considered by the independent Planning Inspector through the Examination of the Deposit Local Development Plan.

Alternative Sites Register
Ref. No.	Document name
1	Introduction to Alternative Sites Register
2	Alternative Sites Index – Part A (New Sites), Part B (Amend Settlement Boundary), Part C (Deletions)
3	Alternative Sites Register - Part A (New Sites) (1-60), (61-120), (121-180)
4	Alternative Sites Register - Part B (Settlement Boundary) (1-50), (51-103)
5	Alternative Sites Register - Part C (Deletions)

Alternative Sites Representations Register

Representations Register
Ref. No.	Document name
1	Index , Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Deposit Consultation and Alternative Site Consultation Representation Responses Register

This register contains detailed responses to the representations on the LDP submitted during the following two statutory public consultation periods:

• Consultation on the Deposit Draft LDP, February-March 2009;

• Consultation on Alternative Sites, June-July 2009.

The Plan, the representations and the approved responses will be submitted to the Inspector who will conduct the formal Examination of the LDP. Submission is scheduled for January 2010, and the Inspector’s Report is provisionally expected by the end of 2010.

Representations Responses Register
Ref No	Document name
1	Policy Representations
2	Alternative Sites
3	Settlement Boundaries
4	Sustainability Appraisal
5	Corrections Addendum

Guide to the Register

Part 1 contains reports on LDP paragraphs and policies. The reports are in the same order as they appear in the Deposit Draft LDP, and cover core strategy policies, area-wide policies, northern strategy area policies and southern strategy area policies. Representations seeking the deletion of allocated sites from the LDP are dealt with in the reports on the relevant allocating policies.

Part 2 contains reports on Alternative Sites classed as “New Sites”, i.e. sites where the representation seeks a new allocation for development. The reports are in the order of the site numbers in the Alternative Sites Register (June 2009), from AS(N)001 to AS(N)180. This is broadly in order of settlement name.

Part 3 contains reports on Alternative Sites classed as “Settlement Boundary Sites”, i.e. sites where the representation seeks a change in the line of the settlement boundary. Again, the reports are in the order of the site numbers in the Alternative Sites Register, from AS(S)001 to AS(S)103 plus Mountain Ash General Hospital.

Part 4 contains one report covering representations submitted on the LDP Sustainability Appraisal.

Part 5 contains a Correction Addendum to the Representations Responses Register.

Submission and Examination

The Council will submit the deposit LDP, sustainability appraisal report, CIS, consultation statement and representations to an independent Planning Inspector who will publicly examine the ‘soundness’ of the Local Development Plan.

Inspectors Report on the Local Development Plan

After the examination, the Inspector will produce a binding report identifying proposed changes to the LDP. The authority will have the opportunity before the Inspectors report is finalised, to request the correction of factual errors. The authority will make copies of the Inspector report and its suggested changes available for public inspection within 4 weeks of its receipt and should notify its intention to adopt the LDP as soon as possible (or in any event within a further 4 weeks).

Adoption

An LDP becomes operative on the date it is adopted.

Annual Monitoring Report (AMR)

A document prepared and published by the Council, which will assess the extent to which policies in the adopted LDP are being successfully implemented and establish whether policies, proposals or the LDP need to be reviewed. The AMR will also consider the need to review the Delivery Agreement where progress on making necessary alterations or amendments to the LDP has lagged.

Sustainability Appraisal & Strategic Environmental Assessment

Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is a tool for appraising policies to ensure they reflect sustainable development objectives (i.e. economic, environmental and social factors). Each local planning authority is required to undertake sustainability appraisal of its LDP.

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a generic term to describe environmental assessment as applied to policies, plans and programmes. The SEA Regulations require a formal “environmental assessment of certain plans and programmes, including those in the field of planning and land use” such as LDP.

Consultation on the SA/SEA Scoping Report was held during the period 23rd March - 28th April 2006. The Scoping Report can be viewed at main Council offices and libraries throughout the County Borough.

A SA / SEA was undertaken of the Preferred Strategy as part of the pre deposit preparation process. The Preferred Strategy Sustainability Appraisal (January 2007) reports on progress on the SA work so far with the LDP to Preferred Strategy stages. Consultation on the Preferred Strategy Sustainability Appraisal took place between11th January – 21st February 2007.

A SA/ SEA was prepared for the Deposit Draft Local Development Plan and considered the polices and allocations and the plan as a whole. Consultation on the Deposit SA/SEA took place between 5th February and 26th March 2009.

The full SA/SEA and non- technical summary can be viewed here.

Appropriate Assessment

In addition to the SA / SEA requirements, European Directive 92/43/EEC (The Habitats Directive) requires that the effects of plans on sites of European nature conservation importance (Natura 2000 sites) are assessed to ensure the integrity of the sites will not be adversely affected, and this process is known as ‘Appropriate Assessment’.

In accordance with the requirements of the Directive the LDP has been screened in order to assess the impact of the plan on the 4 Natura 2000 sites within or adjacent to the Rhondda Cynon Taf boundary. The Appropriate Assessment Screening Report (January 2007) can be viewed here.

Habitat Regulation Assesment

Habitats Regulation Assesment (HRA) of development plans is a requirement of the Habitats Directive, as set out in the amended Habitats Regulations (2007). This report details the HRA Appropriate Assesment stage for the Council’s Deposit Draft Local Development Plan. It sets out the methods, findings and conculsions of the Appropriate Assesment.

Welsh Assembly Government Web Site

Further Information

Development Planning Team
Regeneration and Planning
Floor 5, Unit 3
Ty Pennant
Catherine Street
Pontypridd
CF37 2TB

Telephone: 01443 495193

Want to be kept informed on the LDP?

Add yourself to the LDP Consultation Database by sending us your details at LDP@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk.

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Content authorised by: Development Planning
Last revised on: 28/1/2010