Annual Monitoring Report October 2019 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Snowdonia National Park Authority Eryri Local Development Plan Annual Monitoring Report October 2019 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ERYRI LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT For the period 1st April 2018 to 31st of March 2019 October 2019 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................4 2 KEY FINDINGS AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................7 3 GENERAL CONTEXT ........................................................................................................9 4 THE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY ................................................................................. 12 5 PROTECTING, ENHANCING AND MANAGING THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT ...... 17 6 PROTECTING AND ENHANCING THE CULTURAL HERITAGE .................................. 33 7 PROMOTING HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES.................................... 51 8 SUPPORTING A SUSTAINABLE RURAL ECONOMY ................................................... 92 9 PROMOTING ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION ....................................................... 124 10 APPENDIX 1 - SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL ............................................................ 136 11 APPENDIX 2 SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING GUIDANCE PROGRESS ................... 188 12 APPENDIX 3: PROGRESS ON ALLOCATED HOUSING SITES ................................. 189 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Following adoption of the Eryri Local Development Plan 2007-2022 (LDP) in July 2011, work started on monitoring the LDP to demonstrate the extent to which the policies are being achieved. This is the seventh formal Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) and covers the period April 2018 to the end of March 2019. The AMR will be submitted to the Welsh Government by October 31st 2019. The monitoring report also includes some data for the period since the plan base date (2007), further data from the first adoption (13th July 2011), and the newly adopted LDP 2016-2031, following a short form review (adopted 6th February, 2019) to provide a fuller picture about plan progress and performance. 1.2 The Annual Monitoring Report aims to demonstrate the extent to which the Eryri Local Development Plan strategy is being achieved, whether the policies are working or not or where there is a policy ‘void’. Flexibility within the LDP system allows adjustments and revisions to be made to policies, making the plan relevant and responsive to change. Such adjustments, if required, can be made in the formal review to the LDP. 1.3 This report has been set out to follow a similar structure to the Eryri Local Development Plan written statement document and uses the same chapter headings. Each section identifies the relevant LDP objectives, and any key contextual issues arising during the monitoring period. Minor amendments will be incorporated within the next monitoring report in order to reflect the newly adopted LDP 2016-2031. However within each chapter of this report, there is a section entitled ‘Changes presented in the adopted LDP 2016-2031 following the Short Form Revision Process’. This section identifies issues and changes that have been addressed in the short form revision and adopted within the plan (2016-2031). Case studies have also been included at the end of each chapter to provide examples of how policies have been taken into consideration in determining planning applications. 1.4 The monitoring report will be considered by the Eryri Forum and reported to the Planning & Access Committee prior to submitting to the Welsh Government in October 2019. The report will also be published on the Authority’s website. Indicators, Targets and Trigger levels 1.5 Indicators, targets and trigger levels have been identified to assess the performance of policies and objectives. External influences which are outside the control of the Authority are also identified. The triggers included in the monitoring regime will give an early indication on the performance of the Plan and possibly how wide ranging a Plan review may need to be. 1.6 As a visual aid in monitoring the effectiveness of policies and to provide an overview of performance, key indicators and outcomes are highlighted as follows: Eryri Local Development Plan: Annual Monitoring Report, October 2019 4 Snowdonia National Park Authority Targets / objectives are being achieved. + Targets have not been achieved or poor performance, but no concerns over implementation of policy / objectives. +/- Monitoring indicates area of concern over implementation of policy/objectives. _ No conclusion can be drawn due to limited amount of data 1.7 Consideration has been given to the relevant core indicators identified in the Welsh Government Local Development Plan Manual (Edition 2 2015). Some of these have been included, others adapted as local indicators to suit local circumstances, and others discarded as being irrelevant. All the monitoring indicators were agreed during the Examination of the Plan in 2011. Minor additions will be incorporated within the next Monitoring Report following the Examination of the revised Plan in Summer 2018, and Adoption in 2019. Additional indicators of change for the National Park are included in the 2015 State of the Park Report. 1.8 The monitoring framework includes reference to other organisations and other plans and strategies that may have a proactive influence on the implementation of policies. 1.9 The Authority has reviewed the LDP 2007-2022 and has formally adopted the revised LDP 2016-2031, following a short form review process. This process included a Delivery Agreement agreed with the Welsh Government, and a formal consultation with Specific, and General Consultees on a Review Report that outlines the main areas where the Authority considered change was required. The areas where changes are proposed in the Review Report have been based on evidence collated in previous Annual Monitoring Reports, changes in National and Local guidance and other National and Local Evidence sources. After consulting on the Review Report, and preparing the revised Local Development Plan, the Authority consulted on the revised deposit Eryri Local Development Plan during the summer of 2017. 41 representors responded to this consultation, which included 216 separate representations. During January 2018, the Authority submitted the revised deposit LDP and supporting documents to the Welsh Government for Independent Examination. Following this, the Planning Inspectorate Wales appointed Mr Richard Duggan BSc (Hons) DipTP MRTPI to conduct the Examination. At the request of the Inspector, the Authority prepared a Focussed Changes document for public consultation from 16th March 2018 until 27th April 2018. The Hearing Sessions of the Local Development Plan Revision Examination were held from Tuesday 17th July to Thursday 19th July at the Snowdonia National Park Authority's offices in Penrhyndeudraeth. Following the Examination Hearing Sessions, the Authority made amendments to the revised Eryri Local Development Plan. The changes proposed by the Authority are included in a Matters Arising Changes document that was subject to public consultation until October 2018. The revised Eryri Local Development Plan (2016-2031) was adopted by Snowdonia National Park Authority on the 6th of February, 2019. Eryri Local Development Plan: Annual Monitoring Report, October 2019 5 Snowdonia National Park Authority Sustainability Appraisal Monitoring 1.10 An analysis has been undertaken on how the Plan is contributing to the Sustainability Appraisal. This is included as Appendix 1. It is considered that no substantial issues of concern have arisen during the monitoring period to materially change the Sustainability Appraisal. Eryri Local Development Plan: Annual Monitoring Report, October 2019 6 Snowdonia National Park Authority 2 KEY FINDINGS AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2.1 The conclusions for the seventh monitoring report indicate that: • This monitoring report period overlaps two adopted LDPs, LDP 2007-2022 which guided the determination of planning applications between 01/04/2018 until 08/02/2019, and the revised LDP 2016-2031 that guides the determination of planning applications from 09/02/2019 onwards. • There have been no significant developments permitted which undermine the statutory purposes of the National Park or the strategic policies of the Plan (2007-2022) and (2026-2031). • The Eryri LDP policies have been effective in determining land use planning applications and in defending appeals. • The number of housing completions for 2018/2019 was 17, which is low compared with previous years. The number of residential units granted planning permission and completed since the first adoption in 2011 has been relatively good considering recent market conditions. However, this year’s figure reflects the lower end of the range which has been experienced in recent years. This is explored further within indicator MF24. • The Plan has a housing land supply of (5(5.08) years - Joint Housing Land Availability Study (JHLAS) 2019). • The number of new planning permissions granted for housing units during 2018/2019 was 40. The number of affordable housing permitted in 2018-19 was 22 units (55%) which is close to the target of 26 units set in the Eryri LDP. • The total number of affordable dwellings completed for the period April 2018 to end of March 2019 was 6 units (35% of the total completions for the same period), which is below the ambitious target of 26 set in the Eryri LDP and the