Pre-Deposit Plan (Preferred Strategy)

4 The Strategic Vision, Aims and Objectives

The Vision

4.1 A vision of what the County Borough will be like at the end of the plan period is important to understand what needs to change over the plan period. These changes will inform the policy framework which will drive and direct change to realise the vision.

4.2 The Vision, Aims and Objectives for the 2RLDP have been the subject of discussion and consideration through the LDP Engagement process via the seminar series. These discussions and considerations are set out in detail in the Council's Evidence Base Document "Pre-Deposit Engagement". The LDP Focus Group considered the discussions from the engagement process and recommended to Council that the following vision be adopted for the 2RLDP.

The Key Aims and Objectives

4.3 In order to deliver the Vision through the 2RLDP, a series of Aims, which identify broad areas for action and Objectives, which set out detailed actions to deliver elements of the overall Vision, are set out. The Aims and Objectives will inform future detailed policy development associated with the Deposit 2RLDP.

The Key Aims

4.4 The key aims for the 2RLDP are to:

1. Address the causes of and mitigate and build resilience to the effects of, climate change.
2. Underpin all development with the principles of Placemaking, Sustainable Development and good design.
3. Ensure equal opportunities and access for all to proposed and existing homes, jobs, facilities and services within the County Borough.
4. Enhance the vibrancy, diversity and character of local communities through the use of sound placemaking principles for the health and well-being of residents and engender social cohesion.
5. Protecting and enhancing the County Borough's blue and green infrastructure whilst balancing the need for development through balancing the environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts to deliver sustainable development.
6. Promote Caerphilly County Borough as an area with a distinctive identity and as an area in its own right within the Cardiff Capital Region, whilst working together for the benefit of the region.
7. Establish a sustainable economic and population structure that will support our communities and our economy.
8. Address the economic challenges facing the County Borough through the provision of sustainably located land to increase the number of jobs, promote the circular economy, engender economic growth in the County Borough, whilst promoting diverse town centres with a range of employment opportunities and delivering the waste hierarchy.
9. Facilitate the development of affordable and market housing, in sustainable locations, to provide a range and choice of housing that will afford everyone the opportunity of a quality home in the right place.
10. Support the development and further expansion of the SEW Metro by identifying opportunities for enhancing accessibility and the existing transport infrastructure to facilitate a shift to public transport and electric vehicles, whilst increasing the potential for active travel for local and leisure trips and maintaining the resilience of the strategic highway network.
11. Support and facilitate the development of modern education facilities to upskill the population tailored to the County Borough's future needs.
12. Positively encourage renewable energy generation and use in the County Borough to assist in reducing emissions and mitigate against the effects of climate change.
13. Facilitate the creation of quality places through developments that are based on good design and ensure all developments minimise the potential for crime and anti-social behaviour.
14. Facilitate the protection, regeneration and enhancement of the historic fabric of the County Borough for the benefit its rich culture and diversity brings to the communities in the County Borough.
15. Contribute to improving public health through the facilitation of land use developments that contribute to healthy lifestyles and mental well-being.

The Key Objectives

4.5 The key objectives for the 2RLDP are to:

1. Accommodate sustainable levels of population growth that accords with the County Boroughs status within the National Growth Area (G, H, I).
2. Manage, preserve, and enhance the quality of valuable open space and landscape and safeguard them from inappropriate forms of development (D, M).
3. Deliver the biodiversity duty through identifying new and protecting and enhancing existing green and blue infrastructure and biodiversity assets (E).
4. Ensure that the environmental impact of all new development is minimised (E).
5. Ensure that development proposals fully address climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in accordance with the energy hierarchy (A, B, E).
6. Deliver the Welsh Government's zero carbon targets and assist the Council's climate emergency by promoting the development of renewable energy generation in appropriate locations (A, L).
7. Ensure that all developments are underpinned by circular economy principles, prevent waste through the consideration of design choices and site treatment and make provision for sustainable waste management facilities that reflect the priority order of the waste hierarchy (H).
8. Encourage the re-use and / or reclamation of appropriate brownfield and contaminated land and prevent the incidence of further contamination and dereliction (E).
9. Ensure the location of new development facilitates easy access to sustainable transport and active travel and the proposed development accords with the role and function of settlements in line with the settlement hierarchy (J).
10. Ensure an adequate and appropriate range of housing sites are available across the County Borough in the most sustainable locations to meet the housing requirements of all sections of the population (I).
11. Ensure all new development meets the requirements of good placemaking, design and sustainability as set out in the Placemaking Charter creating places with a strong sense of community, quality design, sustainability, activity, equality and to create a sense of place (A, M).
12. Manage, protect and enhance the quality and quantity of the water environment and reduce water consumption (D, E).
13. Reduce the impact of flooding by ensuring that highly vulnerable development is directed away from areas of medium and high risk of flooding and embedding sound SuDS principals in the design and layout of development from the outset. (E)
14. Reduce the need to travel by promoting a mix of land use allocations in sustainable locations and provide improved digital infrastructure (E, J).
15. Promote accessibility for all by prioritising walking and cycling (active travel), then public transport and finally motor vehicles thus reducing air borne pollution and the dependency on private vehicles (J).
16. Capitalise on the County Borough's position within the National Growth Area, supporting co-ordinated regeneration and investment to improve well-being, increase prosperity and address social inequality and complementing the strategic roles of Cardiff and Newport (F).
17. Provide and protect a diverse portfolio of employment land for a variety of uses in the most appropriate locations, ensuring that jobs and housing are aligned with services and sustainable transport infrastructure (H, K).
18. Significantly improve the visitor economy through the enhancement of existing, and the development of new and diverse, all-season tourist attractions and visitor accommodation and maximise the associated benefits the improvements provide (H).
19. Promote an integrated and sustainable public transport system (J).
20. Ensure provision of ultra-low emission vehicle charging infrastructure (J).
21. Provide a wide range of community facilities, which are appropriately located, easily accessible, improve health and well-being and meet the needs of the County Borough (B, C, D, O).
22. Promote, sustain and enhance the County Borough's retail and commercial centres as the most sustainable locations in which to live, work, shop, socialise and conduct business, in accordance with the town centre first principle and the hierarchy of centres established in the plan, and ensure their accessibility by sustainable modes of transport (H).
23. Protect, conserve, and increase the value of the Historic Environment by promoting heritage as an asset and encouraging adaptive reuse, sustainability, placemaking and regeneration (B, N).
24. Promote the Historic Environment through historic places that contribute to the history of Caerphilly County Borough, while promoting and conserving the cultural heritage and historic environment, through local communities and visitor inclusivity (B, H, N).
25. Ensure the County Borough is well served by accessible public open space and accessible natural greenspace, that promotes a healthy and active lifestyle and improves overall wellbeing (B, D, E, M, O).