Cardiff Council members yesterday (25 March) voted to withdraw its Local Development Plan leaving the Welsh capital’s development strategy in disarray.  The move follows criticism from the Welsh Assembly Government, who first raised concerns in 2008.

Gareth Hooper, an associate partner at Cardiff planning consultancy DPP said: “Inspectors from the Welsh Assembly Government raised a number of concerns relating to flood risk, waste and transport, but the greatest attention had been focused on the delivery and mix of housing development.  Specifically, serious reservations were raised about the target number of dwellings and the role of Brownfield sites in meeting the targets.”

Cardiff Council recognises that the current economic recession has undermined certain elements of the Plan, most significantly being the impact on the strategy for delivering the housing requirement.

Gareth adds: “The downturn has meant that existing and proposed housing sites have been re-assessed to reflect dramatically reduced land values.  Lower density development is being blamed for a reduction in housing supply and viability issues mean that the anticipated growth from Brownfield sites can no longer be supported.  The outcome is the failure of the Plans housing growth strategy.”

The move will see Cardiff Council revert to the last adopted Local Development Plan from 1996, which all recognise as being hopelessly out of date. 

The Council is likely to commence work on a new plan immediately, which will require the preparation of a new evidence base following consultation with the public and stakeholders on strategy and how it should be delivered.

Gareth adds: “Conversely, the lack of an overall housing and development strategy leaves the door open for developers to submit planning applications for housing and other uses on previously unfavoured sites, including Greenfield sites.”

In the longer term, there is nothing to say that the Council will not find itself in a similar position with a new Plan several years down the line.

Says Gareth: “The Council maintains that it has sought to produce a sustainable Plan and develop a strategy that is designed to continue the regeneration of the city.  It highlights that this approach has secured cross party political support and wider backing from the community.  As such, the Council has stated that they are disappointed that the Welsh Assembly Government has raised concerns about the delivery of the strategy.

“The Council maintain that they will carry forward many of the existing objectives although they do acknowledge that they will need to re-examine the provision of future housing and employment growth, including the release of Greenfield sites in order to provide a greater range and choice of housing.”

Gareth concludes: “Fundamentally, however, the Cardiff LDP to date has served to highlight that it is extremely difficult to strike a balance between meeting future growth needs in a sustainable manner whilst regenerating our towns and cities.  Undoubtedly, the current economic climate has had a huge bearing on the eventual outcome, however, this is an issue which is not exclusive to Cardiff and is a marker for a wider debate on the growth of our communities.”

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About DPP
DPP is a large independent town planning consultancy working in all development sectors.  It has a comprehensive range of core planning skills, with specialisms in sustainability, urban design and masterplanning, together with heritage and conservation planning advice.  DPP has 35 years of experience and operates from a network of 10 regional offices throughout the UK and Ireland, enabling the firm to combine national coverage with local knowledge.

Clients of DPP include Bellway Homes Ltd, Caffé Nero, Centros, Domino's Pizza, English Heritage, Invensys, Liberty Properties, Liverpool Land Development Company, Mercian Developments, The Ministry of Justice, Shell International, Taylor Wimpey, Tesco, Unilever Pension Fund Trustees, United Utilities, the Watkin Jones Group and the Welsh Assembly Government.

Contact
Matt Baldwin, Coast Communications
Tel: 01233 503200 / 07930 439739
Email: matt@coastcommunications.co.uk