Latest News
Call for Candidate Sites 2023
Following the Welsh Governments approval of a Delivery Agreement for the preparation of the Replacement Local Development Plan 2023-2038, a “Call” for Candidate Sites is now open!
Between noon on the 6th November 2023 and noon on the 18th December 2023 the Council is calling for Candidate Sites to be submitted.
Candidate Sites can be for:
- residential (including for gypsy and travellers pitch provision)
- employment
- retail
- tourism
- community use
- education
- health and social care
- leisure and recreation
- green infrastructure
- active travel
- transport infrastructure
- renewable energy, waste or minerals
The Council is particularly looking for sites for large residential development of 50+ dwelling units.
Visit the Candidate Sites page for more information.
Delivery Agreement for the Neath Port Talbot Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) (2023-2038) – has been agreed by Welsh Government
The Delivery Agreement (DA) is a statutory requirement of the Plan preparation process under Regulation 9 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development Plan) (Wales) Regulations 2005 (as revised by the Local Development Plan (Wales) Amendment Regulations 2015), and must be approved by resolution of the Council and the Welsh Government (WG).
Neath Port Talbot Council (NPTC) started work on its Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) in 2021. Preliminary findings from the 2022 ‘Call for Sites’, alongside information obtained from our Annual Monitoring Reports, and growth projections indicates that there was a requirement for additional housing land to be identified and existing infrastructure and viability matters that require more time to overcome.
Given this, the Council decided to stop the preparation of the RLDP, and to start again. A Draft Delivery Agreement (DA) was approved by Council on the 4th October 2023, and following consultation was submitted to the Welsh Government.
The Delivery Agreement was subsequently approved by Welsh Government on the 26th October 2023, and allows NPT Council to formally commence preparation of the Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP). The DA sets out a 3.5 year process to anticipated adoption of an RLDP in April 2027, with a plan end date of 2038.
The DA’s purpose is to set out:
- The Council’s RLDP preparation timetable outlining the various stages of plan preparation, when these will be undertaken and when engagement will take place;
- Details of the Community Involvement Scheme (CIS), detailing who will be involved in the RLDP preparation process and how and when participation and collaboration will occur; and
- The resources the Authority will invest in plan preparation.
The Timetable for the preparation of the RLDP is set out below:
Definitive
| Key stage | Timescale |
|---|---|
| Delivery Agreement | November 2023 |
|
Pre-deposit Participation / Preparation (Regulation 14) |
November 2023-September 2024 |
| Call for Candidate Sites | November 2023-December 2023 |
| Pre- Deposit (Preferred Strategy) Consultation (Regulation 15) | November 2024- December 2024 |
| Deposit Participation / Preparation | December 2024- September 2025 |
| Deposit RLDP Consultation (Regulation 17) | November 2025- December 2025 |
Indicative
| Key stage | Timescale |
|---|---|
| Submission of RLDP to WG for examination (Regulation 22) | June 2026 |
|
Independent Examination (Regulation 23) |
September 2026 – December 2026 |
| Receipt and Publication of the Inspector's Report (Rule 24) | February 2027 |
| Adoption of RLDP (Regulation 25) | April 2027 |
| Monitoring and Review | April 2028 |
View the Delivery Agreement
Hard copies of the Delivery Agreement can be found in all the Deposit locations:
- Neath Civic Centre, Neath, SA11 3QZ
- Port Talbot Civic Centre, Port Talbot, SA13 1PJ
Cllr. Wyndham Griffiths:
"Now formally agreed, the DA commits the Council to producing the RLDP in accordance with the timetable and CIS. This forms part of the LDP tests of soundness, which will be examined by an independent Planning Inspector at an Examination in Public.
Formal preparation of the plan has now begun and we welcome NPT community involvement in making our County Borough a better place."
If you wish to register your interest and be kept informed of the Replacement LDP process, please contact the Planning Policy Team.
Integrated Sustainability Appraisal (ISA) Scoping Report
The RLDP will also be subject to Sustainability Appraisal incorporating Strategic Environmental Assessment, alongside a number of other impact assessments. It is intended to combine these assessments within one Integrated Sustainability Appraisal (ISA).
The first stage in this process is the publication and agreement of the ISA Scoping Report, setting out the baseline situation within the county borough and the methodology that will be followed for the assessments.
For further information on the RLDP, please contact the Planning Policy Team.