Agenda item

The Leader presented the next report to colleagues on the Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) Preferred Strategy.

The report asked for Cabinet approval to firstly endorse the Council’s responses to comments received on the Growth and Spatial Options consultation and secondly, and more importantly, to endorse the Preferred Strategy and recommend to Council for a formal community consultation to commence from October.

These recommendations were in line with the timeline included in the Revised Delivery Agreement that was approved by Council and confirmed by the Welsh Government in January 2023.

In respect of the Growth and Spatial Options consultation, this was an informal stage of consultation which ran for six weeks from January to March 2023. The responses received were used to inform the proposed Preferred Strategy.

The options paper provided a high-level analysis of the various options for housing and employment land growth going forward, up to 2036, which was the lifetime of the new LDP. 

When considering growth, it was important to remember that Newport was identified as a National Growth Area in Future Wales: The National Plan 2040. This is the top tier of the Development Plan for planning purposes and all local level plans need to be in accordance with the national plan.

The Leader was pleased to report that 68 consultation responses were received from a wide array of stakeholders.  These responses were summarised in the Cabinet Report and included in full in Appendix A, along with the Council’s proposed response.

There was a general acceptance that Newport needed to grow sustainably, including the identification of new housing and employment land.

The Council responses advised how the issues raised have or would be addressed.

The Leader reiterated the importance of the consultation responses and alongside a considerable amount of background evidence and reports, they were used to inform the Preferred Strategy. The full document was included in Appendix B.

To formally progress a Preferred Strategy, a formal consultation period is  required, and the regulations state that this should be for a minimum of six weeks. It was noted that the proposed consultation would begin in October and run for eight weeks. The consultation plan includes various methods of engagement and exercises to ensure a wide audience is  reached.

In respect of the strategy itself, the overarching strategy was for 9,570 new homes and 8,640 new jobs.  With this level of growth, the agreed Vision of making Newport a destination where people want to live, work and visit could be achieved. This also aligned with the Welsh Government’s aspirations for growth in Newport.

To deliver this growth, a hybrid spatial strategy was proposed that focussed on Previously Developed Land but also acknowledged that some greenfield land within and adjoining settlements was required to deliver the strategy, alongside some smaller development within villages. Details of proposed key sites of 300+ dwellings were outlined in the strategy.

It is important to remember that it is a strategy for consultation, the views and opinions of all stakeholders are welcomed. All responses would be considered in detail and used to inform the Deposit Plan which would be brought back to Cabinet around this time next year.

Finally, the report noted that a verbal update from the Place and Scrutiny Committee would be provided at their meeting on Monday[MK(STL1] .

Comments of Cabinet Members:

§   Councillor Clarke referred to the extensive report, which the Leader had summed up well.  It was important to mention that Newport is a national growth area, as shown in the 2021 census data.  It was also important to get the right plan in place to meet the need of current and future residents.  We needed to ensure that there was enough land access for good quality new housing and employment to support new and growing businesses.  It was encouraging to see the responses on the growth and options consultation, this was an important part of the planning process.  Even though it was a minimum of six-week consultation period, we looked to extend to eight weeks to hear the residents’ views. The Cabinet Member added that he attended the Performance Scrutiny Committee for Place and Corporate this week and the committee was happy to recommend that the consultation could take place.  Finally, Councillor Clarke thanked officers in the Planning team who worked hard and added that there was a lot of work to do moving forward.  The Cabinet Member therefore endorsed the report.

Decision:

Cabinet

§  Noted the comments on the Growth and Spatial Options (GSO) and endorsed the responses provided in Appendix A.

§  Endorsed the Preferred Strategy consultation paper, provided in Appendix B, and recommended to Council that a formal community consultation was commenced.