Agenda item

The Leader presented the report to Cabinet.

Full Council endorsed the review of Newport’s Local Development Plan in May earlier this year.  The Council’s process for review also received formal approval from Welsh Government. 

A call was put out for candidate sites and the Council also consulted on an Integrated Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report.  This report would help to ensure that sustainability was at the heart of the replacement LDP.  It would include assessments on equality, language, health and well-being and would be key to assessing candidate sites and all proposed replacement LDP policies.

The proposed Integrated Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report included a framework which focuses on ten themes:

·        Economy and employment

·        Population and communities

·        Health and well-being

·        Equality, diversity and inclusion

·        Transport and movement

·        Natural Resources

·        Biodiversity

·        Historic Environment

·        Landscape

·        Climate Change

Proposed sites and draft policies would all need to be considered against these themes.  The themes had a number of assessment questions associated with them which could be viewed in Appendix A of the Cabinet Report.  In summary, sites and policies that received positive answers to these assessment questions would have a greater chance of making it into the adopted replacement LDP.

The Integrated Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report and framework was subject to public consultation.  Comments received could be viewed in Appendix B along with the changes made following consultation.

Issues covered in the responses included:

·        Importance of green infrastructure

·        Welsh Governments declaration of a Nature Emergency

·        Investment in the City Centre

·        Further protection of the Gwent Levels

In summary, Cabinet were being asked to consider the responses received and approve the Integrated Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report and Framework which were updated following consultation.  If this was approved, the Council was also being asked to agree that officers could move to the next stage of the replacement LDP preparation.  This involved engaging with stakeholders in order to prepare a draft vision and proposed objectives for the replacement LDP, plus discussing the level of growth, particularly in terms of housing and employment land that we may wish to deliver in Newport. 

All proposals and feedback on this next engagement stage would be returned to Cabinet for further discussion and consideration in the future.

Comments from Cabinet Members

·        Councillor Hughes picked up on consultation comments within the report by the Council’s partners and stakeholders, such as Friends of the Gwent Levels and many others.  Councillor Hughes welcomed the need to protect rural landscape and that the work being done was recognised more nationally and picked up by the BBC which highlighted that Newport was ahead of the game in several areas regarding conservation.

·        Councillor Davies supported Councillor Hughes comments on the Gwent Levels focussing on the biodiversity and birdlife.  This was also fundamental to LDP for the future wellbeing for Newport residents and was therefore pleased that LDP was taking this into consideration.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.      Noted and considered the consultation comments received on the ISA Report along with the proposed officer responses.

2.      Approved the ISA Framework and the ISA Report (updated post consultation).

3.      Agreed that officers could start engaging with stakeholders in order to prepare a draft Vision and Objectives for Newport plus growth options for the plan period. (Proposals and feedback would then be returned to Cabinet for consideration).