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Home , Cwmllynfell, Neath Port Talbot, Port Talbot

The Local Development Plan (LDP): ‘Pre-Deposit’ – Stakeholder Engagement

Presentation: VALLEY SPATIAL AREA

Officers: Carl Comerford & Rhys Evans Planning Department – CBC Date: 10.00am Tuesday 10th May 2011. Venue: Hall. Content: • Part 1 – Introduction: ¾What is a Local Development Plan (LDP)? ¾What is the purpose of the meeting? ¾ – the major issues; ¾Key tasks in setting the LDP Strategy. • Part 2 – Considering the Overall Strategy: ¾The LDP Vision (2011-2026); ¾The Overall Level of Growth; ¾The Overall Spatial Strategy. • Part 3 – Considering the Strategy for the Valleys: ¾Local / Neighbourhood Strategy; ¾Strategy for the Valleys; ¾Strategy for Other Key Topic Areas. PART 1: Introduction What is a Local Development Plan?

• The Council is required to prepare a LDP; • The LDP will set out the Council’s strategy, objectives and policies for the development and use of land in Neath Port Talbot – or more simply, ‘identify what can be built and where’; • When adopted the LDP will be the primary document for use in the determination of planning applications and appeals; • It will have a major influence on the future shape of Neath Port Talbot and its individual communities. How will the LDP be prepared? • The Council is committed to engaging with you – the stakeholders – and the community throughout; • This will ensure that the Plan reflects the needs of the area and its communities; • Council Members will act as local champions: ¾ Not expressing definitive views at this stage but simply identifying the issues and passing on local aspirations & opinion to officers; • For Plan preparation, the has been split into 8 Spatial Areas – based on what we regard as identifiable communities. The LDP Spatial Areas: The LDP Stages: • Pre-Deposit Plan: ¾Stakeholder Engagement – May 2011. ¾6 week formal consultation – Sept / Oct 2011. • Full Deposit Plan: ¾Stakeholder Engagement – Oct / Nov 2012; ¾6 week formal consultation – February 2013. • Examination in Public (EIP): ¾November 2013; • LDP Adoption: ¾November 2014. The Purpose of the Meeting?

To help develop and agree the LDP Strategy, we need to: • Present & discuss the range of alternative strategic options with you; • Gain your views on our proposed ‘preferred option’; and • Consider the implications for the . • Ultimately, you can either: ¾ Agree or Disagree; or perhaps ¾ Suggest an additional alternative option. • Either way – your views will be recorded and considered! Neath Port Talbot – a description:

How do we best describe the County Borough today…

“An area with potential, but in need of support” Neath Port Talbot – the positives:

• High value landscapes in terms of the: ¾ Underlying geology; ¾ Cultural & historical heritage; ¾ Ecology; ¾ Visual amenity; ¾ Tranquillity & sense of place. • A wealth of natural resources that are significant on a National scale – both mineral & wind related; • Tourism opportunities focussed on the Upper Afan Valley, Neath Valley & Park; • Community spirit / cohesion. Neath Port Talbot – the negatives:

• After a period of growth, more recently the trend in population change has been one of ‘slow decline’; • Ageing population with poor health; • Valleys and Towns losing jobs with little commercial investment in our centres; • Commuting has become a necessity but is a cause of congestion. Key Tasks in setting the LDP Strategy:

The key tasks in setting the overall Strategy are to: • Identify the appropriate level of population and economic growth; • Identify how this growth should be shared out across the County Borough; • Focus on delivery at the neighbourhood level; • Deliver healthy, safe and sustainable communities; and • Identify what residents should expect to be within easy walking distance and be easily accessible. PART 2: Considering the Overall Strategy The LDP Vision (2011-2026):

…simply put – how do we want the County Borough to look in 2026? • Our vision takes account of:

¾ The Spatial Plan;

¾ Neath Port Talbot Community Plan;

¾ Comments made at the Stakeholder Meetings held in the Spring 2009. The LDP Vision:

“Neath Port Talbot will develop a vibrant waterfront and coastal corridor with a modern, competitive, knowledge-based economy complemented by a network of distinctive valley communities. Communities will be strengthened as greater opportunities are provided for all and Neath Port Talbot becomes a stronger, more vibrant, community focussed and sustainable place. Neath Port Talbot’s natural resources and potential for renewable energy will be conserved and when exploited the benefits to the local communities will be maximised. The culture and heritage will be protected and enhanced as the County Borough adapts to environmental and economic change in a greener, healthier and safer environment. Within the Amman and Swansea Valleys the well-being of the , as a significant part of the communities’ social fabric, will be promoted”. The Overall Level of Growth – Options:

• Setting the ‘Growth Strategy’ has important implications on the scale and location of new development; • 7 Growth Options for new housing across the County Borough have been considered and assessed for the LDP: ¾ Very High (705 residential units built per year); ¾ High (599 residential units built per year); ¾ Medium (460 residential units built per year); ¾ Moderate (419 residential units built per year); ¾ Static (285 residential units built per year); ¾ Moderate Decline (231 residential units built per year); and ¾ High Decline (178 residential units built per year). Our ‘Preferred’ Growth Option: • MODERATE GROWTH – why is this option preferred? ¾ It reflects past levels of population growth and house building in the area; ¾ It provides enough growth to promote new investment in the area; ¾ It provides enough growth to sustain communities and their existing facilities, businesses and services; and ¾ The level of growth minimises adverse impacts including loss of countryside and the creation of traffic / pollution. The Overall Spatial Strategy:

• Having considered the level of growth, it is now necessary to discuss the Spatial Strategy – i.e. ‘where to steer and focus the new development and investment’.

• 4 Spatial Options have been considered and assessed for the LDP. The Overall Spatial Strategy – Options:

• Option 1 – Continue with the current UDP Strategy: ¾ Some new development in main urban areas and coastal belt; ¾ Some new housing and regenerating activities in the valleys.

• Option 2 – Focus on the M4 / Fabian Way Corridor: ¾ All new development in main urban areas and coastal belt; ¾ Decline in the valleys. The Overall Spatial Strategy – Options:

• Option 3 – Promote significant growth in the valleys: ¾ Large-scale housing led development in the valleys; ¾ Increased commuting and travel; ¾ Relocation of public sector jobs to valleys. • Option 4 – Focus on coastal area & reinvigorate valleys: ¾ Majority of development in the main urban areas & coastal belt; ¾ Greater emphasis to reinvigorate the valley communities through promoting housing, small business & tourism. Our ‘Preferred’ Spatial Option: • OPTION 4 – focus growth on the coastal area and reinvigorate the Valley communities. • This option will: ¾ Focus majority of development along the and in the urban areas of Neath, Port Talbot & to a lesser extent ; ¾ Support small businesses and tourism; ¾ Prioritise Pontardawe & as growth points in the valleys – reflecting employment growth in retail, manufacturing & coal related activities; and ¾ Encourage increased house building in Valleys. Our ‘Preferred’ Growth & Spatial Options:

When combining the preferred Options, this means: •An average build rate of 420 residential units across the County Borough per year; • When taking into account existing commitments (i.e. current planning permissions such as ) – this means that extra land allocations will need to be identified across the County Borough over the Plan period to accommodate approximately 700 houses; • Based on past build rates over the last 10 years – the distribution would be Neath (240 houses), Port Talbot (280 houses), Pontardawe (50 houses) and the Valleys would take up the remainder. Our ‘Preferred’ Options:

• Your views?

¾Do you agree or disagree?

¾If you disagree – tell us why / and what would be your preference? PART 3: Considering the Strategy for the Valleys

Swansea Valley Spatial Area:

Communities:

¾ Godre’r Graig; ¾ ; ¾ Cwmllynfell. Local / Neighbourhood Strategy:

• Overall – to promote healthier, safer and stronger communities: ¾ Neath, Port Talbot & Pontardawe – identified as important hubs in the local public & community transport network with a wide range of services, facilities & shops; ¾ Community level – to provide a wider range of services, facilities & shops; and ¾ Neighbourhood level – to provide access to open and green space, local shops and community facilities. Strategy for the Valleys:

The issue… “Valley communities have largely become dormitories with residents increasingly travelling to the M4 corridor and beyond in search of work, leisure, shopping, health and education facilities. Their centres have shrunk in size and level of activity as retail parks and the internet have drawn shoppers and trade – this has been compounded when facilities are rationalised as the same economic forces guide their centralisation and location in the main urban areas”. Strategy for the Valleys:

• Key Growth points: ¾ Glynneath and Pontardawe to be promoted as key growth points. • Housing: ¾ Housing growth will be based on past build rates to meet local needs and attract newcomers – i.e. through looking at the potential to relax settlement limits and assessing Candidate Sites; ¾ The Council will consider the provision of serviced housing plots;

• Windfarms & Coal: ¾ Resources of national significance – ‘Developer Contributions’ should be used to support local communities. Strategy for the Valleys:

• Welsh Language: ¾ The need for development will be balanced against the need to protect the Welsh language – prioritise protection in the Welsh Language Board’s ‘Area of Special Language Importance’ – i.e. / / Cwmllynfell / Ystalyfera; • Tourism and Leisure: ¾ Opportunities provided by the countryside and proximity to the Brecon Beacons National Park will be promoted. • Cross-Boundary Working: ¾ Close cooperation with neighbouring Councils to promote development and provide facilities in areas that straddle local authority boundaries. Strategy for Other Key Topic Areas:

RENEWABLE ENERGY / WINDFARMS: • WAG Strategic Search Areas identify areas for large windfarms (greater than 25mw) – the Council must accept the likelihood of the exploitation of such resources in these areas; • Outside these, areas of search will identify areas for small windfarms (less than 25mw); • Potential for other sources of renewable energy will be identified; and • ‘Developer Contributions’ should be used to support the local communities.

Strategy for Other Key Topic Areas:

MINERALS (COAL & AGGREGATES): • NPT has a wealth of mineral resources that are significant on a National scale – the Council must accept that such resources will need to be safeguarded and ‘where appropriate’ will be allowed to be exploited; • Settlements (10+ houses) will be protected from mineral development by 500m buffer zones; • ‘Developer Contributions’ should be used to support the local communities.

Strategy for Other Key Topic Areas: WELSH LANGUAGE: • Prioritise protection of the Welsh Language in the Welsh Language Board’s ‘Area of Special Language Importance’ – i.e. Cwmgors / Brynamman / Cwmllynfell / Ystalyfera; and • Ensure development proposals in Welsh speaking areas are supported by a: ¾ ‘Welsh Language Impact Assessment’; and ¾ ‘Welsh Language Action Plan’ which should identify potential mitigation measures. Strategy for Other Key Topic Areas:

TRANSPORT: • Provide ‘Park & Share’ facilities to improve commuting; • Provide a network of cycle and walking routes for everyday use; • Support public & community transport; and • Target key bottlenecks to tackle congestion. Strategy for Other Key Topic Areas:

ENVIRONMENT: • Protect countryside & wildlife – in particular the protection of Priority Habitats; • Designation of Green Wedges; • Creation of Special Landscape Areas (SLAs); and • Open / Green Space Strategy will protect habitats within urban areas. Strategy for Other Key Topic Areas:

SUSTAINABLE & HEALTHY COMMUNITIES: • Location of new development – avoid areas of noise / air pollution & flood risk; • Improve access to facilities, services and open space at the local level (i.e. within walking distance); • Where appropriate apply ‘secure by design’ principles; • Encourage proposals for mixed-use development within settlement limits. Contact Details:

Website: www.npt.gov.uk/ldp E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: [01639] 686421

Thank You