Pre-Deposit Plan (Revised Preferred Strategy)

1 Introduction Comment

1.1 The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires a local planning authority in Wales to "keep under review the matters which may be expected to affect the development of their area or the planning of its development". This is done through development plans prepared by each local planning authority for their area. The Caerphilly County Borough Local Development Plan up to 2021 (Adopted LDP) is the current development plan for the County Borough and whilst it has surpassed the end of its plan period, it will remain in force until a new LDP supersedes it.

1.2 The Council commenced work on the 2nd Replacement Caerphilly County Borough Local Development Plan 2020-2035 (2RLDP) in October 2020. The background leading to the decision to commence a revision of the Adopted LDP is set out the in the Caerphilly County Borough Local Development Plan up to 2021 Review Report (Review Report). The 2RLDP will cover the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2035. When Adopted, the 2RLDP will be the Council's statutory land use plan which will set out the Council's land-use strategy to deliver sustainable development and build strong, resilient communities that improve the well-being of current and future generations.

1.3 The 2RLDP will need to:

• Deliver sustainable development based on sound place-making principles;
• Build upon, and add value to the National Development Framework and national planning policies and guidance produced by the Welsh Government;
• Reflect local aspirations for the County Borough, based on a vision informed by key stakeholders and the Council's Corporate Plan Well-being Objectives;
• Express in land-use terms the objectives of the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (Well-being Act) and priorities of the Gwent Public Services Board through its Well-being Plan;
• Provide a basis for rational and consistent development management decisions;
• Guide growth and change, while protecting local diversity, character, and sensitive environments; and
• Show why, how and where change will occur over the plan period.

1.4 A key aspect of the 2RLDP will be to identify the nature, scale and spatial distribution of change required to meet the County Borough's needs for the plan period.

1.5 The Council consulted on its first Pre-Deposit Plan for the 2RLDP in October and November 2022. Conformity Objections to the plan were received from Welsh Government in respect of the Strategic Site allocation, the regional approach and context to growth, and the nature-based approach. These objections are addressed in the Initial Consultation Report (ICR) on the first Pre-Deposit consultation. As a result of these objections, changes to the Pre-Deposit strategy have been made. Given that changes have been made to the strategy (Revised Preferred Strategy) the Council is taking a step back in the process and is undertaking a second consultation on the Pre-Deposit Plan with its amendments.

1.6 The 2RLDP is being prepared in accordance with the Revised Delivery Agreement (Revised DA) that was agreed by Welsh Government on 18 October 2024, that sets out the timetable for the preparation of the 2RLDP and the approach to community engagement and consultation throughout the plan preparation process. The key stages in the preparation of the plan are:

• Preparation of the 2nd Pre-Deposit Stage of the 2RLDP including the Revised Preferred Strategy – July to October 2024
• Consultation on the Revised Preferred Strategy - January/February 2025
• Preparation of the Deposit Revised 2RLDP – January to October 2025
• Consultation on the Deposit Revised 2RLDP - January/February 2026
• Submit Revised 2RLDP to Welsh Government - November 2026
• Independent Examination - January/February 2027
• Adoption - August 2027

Structure of the Caerphilly County Borough 2nd Replacement Local Development Plan 2020-2035: 2nd Pre-Deposit Plan (Revised Preferred Strategy) Comment

1.7 The Revised Preferred Strategy is set out in 9 sections:

• Section 1: Introduction - This provides a summary of the process for preparing the 2RLDP, the stage that has been reached and what the Revised Preferred Strategy is.
• Section 2: National, Regional and Local Context - This provides the legislative and policy background within which the Revised Preferred Strategy has been prepared.
• Section 3: Key Land Use Issues - This provides a summary of the key land- use and associated issues that the 2RLDP will need to address.
• Section 4: The Strategic Vision - This sets out the Vision, Aims and Objectives for the 2RLDP.
• Section 5: Strategic Growth Options - This sets out the population, housing and employment options considered for the 2RLDP, identifying the level of growth to be accommodated in the 2RLDP.
• Section 6: Sustainable Settlement Hierarchy - This section sets out the approach to the spatial distribution of the proposed growth considered against the sustainability of development in respect of settlements throughout the County Borough.
• Section 7: The Revised Preferred Strategy - This sets out the Revised Preferred Strategy for the 2RLDP and the strategic policies that will deliver the strategy.
• Section 8: Next Steps - This sets out what will happen after the completion of the 2^nd Pre-Deposit Consultation on the Revised Preferred Strategy Document.
• Section 9: Appendices - This sets out a series of appendices that will provide information in support of the Revised Preferred Strategy.

What is the Revised Preferred Strategy? Comment

1.8 Regulation 15 of the Town and County Planning (Local Development Plan) (Wales) Regulations 2015 (as amended) (LDP Regulations) requires that, before finally determining the content of its Local Development Plan (LDP) for deposit, the Council must publish its pre-deposit proposals (Preferred Strategy) for public inspection and consultation.

1.9 The Revised Preferred Strategy sets out the Council's Pre-Deposit Plan for managing change across the County Borough up to 2035. It provides the strategic context for the preparation of more detailed policies, proposals and land-use allocations that will assist in delivering sustainable development and building more resilient communities. In summary the Revised Preferred Strategy sets out:

• The key land-use issues for the County Borough;
• The Vision, Aims and Objectives that respond to the key issues, challenges and opportunities;
• The Revised Preferred Strategy for the 2RLDP including the scale of future growth in population, housing and jobs and the broad spatial distribution for the growth;
• A strategic policy framework that will deliver/implement the strategy and inform the subsequent stages of the 2RLDP preparation.

1.10 It must be noted that the Revised Preferred Strategy identifies the level and broad spatial distribution of growth but does not identify any site-specific allocations /designations at this stage. This will be undertaken as part of the Deposit Plan preparation process once the Revised Preferred Strategy has been agreed. Only sites that accord with the Revised Preferred Strategy will be considered for inclusion in the Deposit Plan. As such the Revised Preferred Strategy does NOT include:

• Site allocations, unless it is proposed to identify any strategic sites, which are sites of such significance and scale that they would be essential to the delivery of the strategy overall;
• Detailed designations and settlement boundaries;
• Detailed development management policies to manage development;
• Detailed evaluations of the Candidate Sites.

1.11 The Revised Preferred Strategy has been informed by a series of engagement seminars that provided the opportunity for input from key stakeholders and elected members. It has also been amended to take account of the first consultation on the Pre-Deposit Plan in October/November 2022.

1.12 The stages in the preparation process are summarised in the Revised Preferred Strategy, with the Key Issues being considered under Section 3, the Vision and Objectives under Section 4, the Spatial Strategy under Section 5 and the Strategic Policies under Section 7.

1.13 There are a number of technical and procedural documents that have been prepared that provide the evidence base that has informed the Revised Preferred Strategy. A list of these documents, together with a summary of what they cover and their role in the process is set out in Appendix 2 to this document.

The Consultation Comment

1.14 The Revised Preferred Strategy is the subject of a 6-week statutory consultation period during which time anyone can make comments on it by submitting their comments in writing to the Council during the statutory consultation period.

1.15 This Revised Preferred Strategy was formally published for comment on 15 January 2025 and the period of consultation will close on 26 February 2025. Comments on the Revised Preferred Strategy and its supporting documents must be submitted to the Council by the closing date of the consultation. It should be noted that any comments received after the closing date will not be accepted and will not be considered.

1.16 The Revised Preferred Strategy and its supporting documents are available for inspection on the Council's website, and copies of the Revised Preferred Strategy have been placed in each of the libraries throughout the County Borough.

1.17 Comments on the Revised Preferred Strategy can be made through the Council's website.