Neath Port Talbot Local Development Plan
October 2008
Cllr. David Lewis.
Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Local Development
Plan.
The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires the
Council to prepare a Local Development Plan (LDP) for the County
Borough. The LDP will set out the Council’s strategy and objectives
for the use and development of land in Neath Port Talbot together
with its policies to implement them over a 15 year period 2011 –
2026. The plan will be prepared in partnership with stakeholders
and the local community and it will have a major influence on the
future shape of the County Borough and its individual communities.
The LDP will:
- Guide the amount and location of new development in the County
Borough (from housing and employment to minerals and waste).
- Adopt a strategic view of the spatial implications of
development decisions and act as a basis for rational and
consistent decisions regarding the use and development of
land.
- Reflect local aspirations, based on a vision agreed by the
community and stakeholders.
- Identify areas to be protected, such as green wedges, landscape
and wildlife.
- Indicate how and when change will occur over the plan
period.
- Guide the location of new public / grant funded projects and
co-ordinate the provision of new infrastructure, such as highways
and schools.
When adopted (2013) the LDP will constitute the development plan
for Neath Port Talbot (superseding the Unitary Development Plan
(UDP)) and will be the primary document for use in the
determination of planning applications and appeals.
How does the LDP differ from the UDP?
The LDP is not simply the UDP rolled forward. It will
address new issues such as health and well-being, and there will a
focus on engagement throughout the process in order to make the
plan more relevant, inclusive and engaging to local
communities. Essentially the LDP will reflect what
stakeholders and the community tell us. The plan will be
subject to an independent examination to determine its ‘soundness’
and the subsequent Inspector’s Report will be binding on the
Authority.
Further guidance on LDPs can be found on the Welsh Assembly
Government’s website at www.wales.gov.uk
Local Development Plan Delivery Agreement
The Delivery Agreement sets out the timetable for the
preparation of the Local Development Plan, together with how
engagement with the Community and Stakeholders will be carried
out. It was agreed by the Welsh Assembly Government in
September 2008.
Downloads
(Note: to download the files, click on the links above. For further details on how to view PDF documents, refer to our Help pages.)
Work over the Winter 2008/09
The first stage of the work will focus on
identifying the issues that the plan needs to
address (together with suggestions of how this could be
done). Discussions with Community representatives and
stakeholders will start in the New Year, and arrangements are being
made so that members of the public can keep up to date and add
their comments.
The submission of sites which landowners and
developers think would be suitable for development and could be
allocated in the plan will be invited, and this will be open for a
6 month period. Arrangements will be made to advertise the
suggestions on site and on the web-site, and for making comments on
the suitability of the sites.
The first stages will also involve discussing
how the Plan should carry out its Sustainability Appraisal.
This will test at important stages in the plan’s preparation how
well it will deliver sustainable development. The “Scoping”
stage will offer an opportunity to comment on the proposed
arrangements. This will include discussion on how the
plan’s effects on Natura 2000 sites (ie Crymlyn Bog, Kenfig and
Coedydd Nedd a Hepste) will be addressed under the Habitats
Directive.
These early stages will form the basis for the
next stages when the plan will start to be put together. So it is
important your views are put to us as early as possible.
Full details and timetables will be posted on
this website. It is likely that this will be in mid-
December, following the Council agreeing the
arrangements.
Further Information
A wide variety of methods will be used to keep people informed
of LDP progress. This website will play an important role in
providing up to date information and articles regarding the plan’s
preparation.
If you have any queries regarding the LDP, please contact the
Planning Policy Team by email at
LDP@npt.gov.uk or by telephone on 01639 686821.