Initial Consultation Report Adroddiad Ymgynghorol
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Deposit Replacement Caerphilly County Borough Local Development Plan up to 2031 INITIAL CONSULTATION REPORT (PREFERRED STRATEGY) JANUARY 2016 Amnewidiad Adneuo Cynllun Datblygu Lleol Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffi li Hyd at 2031 ADRODDIAD YMGYNGHOROL CYCHWYNNOL (Y STRATEGAETH A FFEFRIR) IONAWR 2016 LEARNINGLEARNING HEALTHIER SAFER PROSPEROUSPROSPEROUS GREENER DEPOSIT REPLACEMENT CAERPHILLY COUNTY BOROUGH LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN UP TO 2031 INITIAL CONSULTATION REPORT CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Compliance with the Delivery Agreement 3. Consultation Bodies 4. Management Groups (a) The LDP Focus Group (b) The Stakeholder Panel (c) The Sustainability Group 5. Community Involvement in Pre‐Deposit Process 6. The Pre‐Deposit Consultation 7. Responses to the Consultation 8. The preparation of the Deposit Replacement LDP 9. Equality Impact Assessment Appendices Appendix 1: Summary of main strategy issues raised Annexes 1. Representations on the Preferred Strategy 2. Representations on the SEA 3. Representations on Strategic Sites (a) Parc Gwernau Maesycwnmmer (b) South East Caerphilly (Former Ness Tar Plant & Adjoining land) 4. Representations on Candidate Sites (a) Sites receiving no representations (b) Representations to candidate sites (c) Additional sites proposed in response to Preferred Strategy Consultation (d) Not duly made representations 5. Test of Soundness Self Assessment: Deposit Replacement Local Development Plan 6. Equality Impact Assessment Caerphilly County Borough Deposit Replacement LDP Initial Consultation Report 1. Introduction 1.1 This document represents the Initial Consultation Report that the Council is required to prepare for the purposes of Regulation 16 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development Plan) (Wales) Regulations 2005 as amended by The Town and Country Planning (Local Development Plan) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2015. 1.2 In accordance with the LDP Regulations, the Report identifies: (a) Bodies engaged or consulted at the pre-deposit public consultation stage; (b) The main issues raised, and how they have influenced the preparation of the Deposit Replacement Local Development Plan up to 2031(Deposit Replacement LDP) (c) The steps taken to publicise plan preparation, and how this complies with the Community Involvement Scheme contained in the Delivery Agreement (d) The total number of representations received pursuant to LDP Regulation 16 2. Compliance with the Delivery Agreement 2.1 The Delivery Agreement (DA) for the Caerphilly County Council Deposit Replacement Local Development Plan commits the Council to producing the Replacement LDP according to the timescales laid down by the Timetable and in accordance with the consultation processes contained within the Community Involvement Scheme (CIS) both of which are contained in the DA. 2.2 The timetable contained within the DA has been followed as far as the requirements of Regulation 14, Pre-Deposit Participation. The Pre- Deposit Public Consultation was delayed by 3 months to allow the Council to prepare a Review Report, requested by Welsh Government, detailing what consideration has been given to the preparation of a Joint Review with neighbouring planning authorities, specifically Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen and to allow the Council sufficient time to complete the work necessary to inform the Preferred Strategy. Whilst the timetable has slipped at Pre-Deposit Stage, the target adoption date of September / October 2017 remains the same as due to changes in the plan preparation process the Council is no longer required to undertake an Alternative Sites Stage. A revised timetable has been submitted to Welsh Government for approval. 2.3 The consultation processes contained within the Community Involvement Scheme (CIS) have been followed. 3. Consultation Bodies 3.1 The Consultation Database contains at any time the details of all the interested persons and bodies who wish to be consulted during the preparation of the LDP. Caerphilly County Borough Deposit Replacement LDP Initial Consultation Report 3.2 The list is of course continually changing, but an indication of a range of bodies that were consulted in the early stages of the preparation of the Deposit Replacement LDP is indicated by the lists of consultation bodies at the start of the process as detailed in the Delivery Agreement. 4. Management Groups 4.1 The Council has utilised three established management groups to assist in the preparation of the Deposit Replacement LDP and speed up decision- making. The Terms of Reference of the Groups, together with the Minutes of each of the meetings have been made available on the Council’s web site throughout the process. The LDP Focus Group 4.2 The LDP Focus Group is an internal group of senior officers and elected members of the Council that has responsibility for overseeing all the stages involved in the preparation of the Deposit Replacement LDP. The Stakeholder Panel 4.3 The Stakeholder Panel consists of residents of the county borough and representatives of a wide range of local groups and organisations to ensure that a cross section of views can be debated as part of the public participation into the preparation of the Replacement LDP. The Sustainability Group 4.4 The Sustainability Group is a group of experts from both inside the Council and external bodies that advises on environmental impact and the sustainability of proposals arising during the preparation of the Deposit Replacement LDP. 5. Community Involvement in the Pre-Deposit Process 5.1 Community involvement is a fundamental feature in the plan preparation process, and is intended to achieve consensus throughout the preparation of the Deposit Replacement LDP. The Community Involvement Scheme (CIS) in the Delivery Agreement details the ways in which the Council has sought to secure this involvement. 5.2 The LDP Focus Group met on six occasions during the Pre-Deposit process, as follows: 19 July 2013; 29 April 2014; 4 November 2014; 20 July 2015; 22 October 2015 and 24 November 2015. 5.3 The Stakeholder Panel met on the 23 June 2014 to consider the Vision and Objectives, the level of growth for the County Borough and alternative spatial options. Caerphilly County Borough Deposit Replacement LDP Initial Consultation Report 5.4 The Sustainability Group met on 6 occasions, as follows:11 March 2014; 8 July 2014; 29 July 2014; 7 February 2014; 3 February 2015 and 26 May 2015. 5.5 The minutes of all the Management Group meetings have been made available on the Council’s Website. 5.6 In addition, in accordance with the Delivery Agreement there was consultation on the Scoping Report for the Strategic Environmental Assessment/ Sustainability Assessment (SEA/SA) between 9 May 2014 – 13 June 2014: this consultation was restricted to the Statutory Consultation Bodies. 6. The Pre-Deposit Consultation 6.1 In accordance with the Regulations, consultation on the Pre-Deposit documents, including the SEA/SA, was carried out for the six-week period between 11 February 2015 to 24 March 2015. The consultation documents were made available at the Council’s Planning Offices, at all public libraries in the County Borough, and on the Council’s Website. Public exhibitions were held between 16 February 2015 and the 21 March 2015. 6.2 The Draft Preferred Strategy consultation document identified the key land use issues for the County Borough that the Plan sought to addressthe Vision for the County Borough up to 2031 together with draft aims and objectives to achieve that Vision, the five alternative spatial options considered and importantly it outlined the Council’s Preferred Development Strategy for the future development of the area. 6.3 The Draft Preferred Strategy identified two significant areas of change within the County Borough where significant growth was to be proposed, specifically Maseycwmmer in the Mid Valley Corridor and South East Caerphilly in the Southern Connections Corridor and thus proposed two strategic sites as follows: NCC1 Gwernau Ganol and Gwernau Fawr Farm, Maesycwmmer (Parc Gwernau); and SCC1 Former Ness Tar Plant and Adjoining Land. 6.4 The SEA/SA documents consisted of the following: (a) The Scoping Report (b) The Review of Relevant Plans, Programmes, and Policies; and (c) The Assessment of the Preferred and Alternative Strategies 6.5 In addition to these documents, the Council also published the Candidate Sites Register, together with the initial assessments that had been made of their suitability for development and of their compatibility with the Preferred Strategy. The Council invited residents to comment on the Candidate Sites. Caerphilly County Borough Deposit Replacement LDP Initial Consultation Report 6.6 In an attempt to engage as wide an audience as possible in the Pre-Deposit public consultation exercise, the Council used a variety of means of communication as outlined in the CIS. The consultation methods used included: Letter / Email Statutory Consultees: In total, 95 letters and emails were sent out General Consultees: In total, 3,231 letters were sent out to general consultees and 380 emails Councillors & Community Councillors – all were sent an email or letter notifying of the Pre-Deposit consultation. Advertisements Statutory Notices were placed in the Western Mail & Campaign on 11 February 2015 Article was placed in the Caerphilly Observer on 19 February 2015 entitled ‘Have Your Say on Planning Blueprint’ Article in the Argus on 11 February 2015 ‘Give your views on Planning Blueprint’ Newsline article in December 2014 and March 2015 alerting residents