Caerphilly Council officers have called for greenfield land to be released for housing, despite opposition from residents and politicians.
A review of the Local Development Plan (LDP), that sets out future development, is underway and a report to council said “there could be a need to release limited greenfield sites” to build new homes.
Councillors were due to debate the issue at a meeting on October 6, but a decision was deferred “for members to receive further information” after opposition was raised.
There has been a number of petitions and protests against plans to build on greenfield sites, including a victorious campaign by the people of Bedwas.
Plans to potentially build up to 300 homes on farmland off Pandy Road in the village were thrown out by councillors on September 9.
But Blackwood Labour councillor Nigel Dix has warned that if approval, in theory, is given to build on greenfield sites, local campaigners will find it harder to stop development.
Cllr Dix called on developers and the Welsh Government, who must approve the LDP, to do more to develop the north of the borough.
He said: “The people may be celebrating in Bedwas, they might have won the battle, but they haven’t won the war.
“The Assembly has to get its act together to promote development of brownfield sites in the north of the borough.”
Bedwas Trethomas and Machen councillor Lisa Jones spoke against the Pandy Road development and said she remains “strongly opposed to development there”.
Cllr Jones said: “While I recognise that there is a demand for new housing, this should not be concentrated in the south end of the county borough.
“We should be looking to help communities with affordable housing in the north of the borough too and it should always be in suitable locations.”
Caerphilly MP Wayne David came out strongly against greenfield development during a recent public consultation on the LDP.
Calling for more development in the north of the borough he said: “There is a strong case for financial incentives to be provided to developers to ensure that the borough is able to encourage more balanced economic and social development.
“If this does not happen, the long-term prospects for the Upper Rhymney Valley are indeed extremely bleak.”
He also said it would be “unjustifiable” for the LDP to encroach upon greenfield areas.
On October 11 Mr David joined Caerphilly AM Jeff Cuthbert and several councillors, including cabinet member Christine Forehead and deputy leader Barbara Jones, to oppose potential plans to build up to 650 homes on greenfield land in Rudry.
Cllr Christine Forehead said proposals to build on an area of natural beauty, Gwern y Domen, was “one of the most crazy ideas I have come across”.
Mr David said: “It is essential that we do all we can to preserve our countryside for future generations and we have here some of the most beautiful countryside in South Wales.”
Mr Cuthbert added: “There is a need for housing in the borough and I want to see more attention paid to the northern end.”
Plaid Cymru AM Lindsay Whittle has also voiced his opposition to the plans.
Planning officers said Caerphilly County Borough is in desperate need of homes – having a current supply of 1.9 years despite recommendations by the Welsh Government that local authorities should have a five-year supply.
A council spokeswoman said that current brownfield sites identified in the LDP were “not currently a feasible source of land supply”.
She added: “All potential releases (of greenfield land) would be determined on their individual merit following a detailed assessment of the sites against LDP and taking into account all other planning and material considerations.”
I will be seeking clarification from CCBC about exactly what the Officers are proposing. Although the decision will not be mine I remain steadfastly opposed to housing development on the Pandy Road site and on Gwern y Domen. I’ve made it clear that the LDP should look at development in the northern end of the Borough rather than concentrating almost exclusively on the Caerphilly Basin.
Surely as an elected AM you have influence in the Welsh Assembly and through your party who controls the council to task the officers to look at something else?
The officers are not an unaccountable, unelected, omniscient group of deities the elected politicians must obey. The politicians are meant to be giving the order to the officers who then conduct work to the brief they have been given. Stop allowing officers to do whatever they like.
Control your party, stand up for the people, and reign in the officers.
The Welsh Assembly is, of course, part of the problem. The demand for more housing comes not from within the borough but from outside, typically Cardiff and Newport. In turn this demand comes from the uncontolled immigration policy in operation in the EU. The immigrants who want to work, legitimately or in the cash economy, want to move to cities, not run down former industrial communities.
This leads to a greater demand and price for both owned and rented accomodation in the cities. Cardiff and Newport people then, very rationally, look to buy cheaper houses in our borough. They can afford to buy larger or more modern houses around here and are content to commute.
Until the governments of Wales and the UK can see and aknowledge this process there will be pressure to build on greenfields. Not just in Caerffili but across swathes of Britain that are near major connurbations.
Well I was just going to say that but you beat me to it.
As usual unelected council officers are to the fore in defying both public opinion and the views of elected representatives. We live in a democracy and it is high time council officers recognised this. We need open spaces, woodland and agricultural production both for our own sakes and for the quality of life of future generations.
When greenfield land is built on it is gone forever.
It is not too difficult to follow the logic and the processes adopted by Officers of Caerphilly CBC in seeking out, and identifying land, brownfield or greenfield sites, suitable for current and future housing development in the borough.
First, they are charged to do so by the Welsh Assembly, and its elected members.
Secondly, in the absence of critical prevention by Elected Caerphilly Borough Councillors, they are free to suggest what they like. Elected members should `instruct them` to seek out and identify suitable sites North of a particular point in the Valley if this is what they want, and they should instruct them to discontinue to identfy land south of that point, and prevent the Council`s Planning officers spending money on defying these instructions. If they continued to do so they woud be Guilty of Misfeance. and we all know how that road proceeds!!!. Ask the council`s former Solicitor, and Deputy and Chief Executive, They would ignore such specific instructions at thier peril. Such `instructions` would of course bring the Caerphilly Council into conflict with the Welsh Assembly.
If the elected officials were competatnt they would put Caerphilly first and instruct the offiers to act in a way that residents support.
Absolutely. But that is not ALWAYS the way forward, unless some form of referendum on the subject is undertaken, and that is NOT how Local Authorities conduct their business.
I disagree. I believe the way forward is to return power to those elected or those who elected the elected. Essentially I view councillors as elected servants to pass orders to the unelected council workers on behalf of the public.
There is no reason the councillors cannot start using their authority to get things done. The real reason is, I suspect most councillors are a bit dumb (they do not realise they possess power), they do not care (only £13,000 interests them), they do not know how (they are unaware of how to exploit their power), and they do not talk effectively (council meetings prove their inability to communicate with each other – no wonder nothing is achieved)
The elected councillors should be put on non-scrutiny committees to make decisions without officers. The cabinet system with officers is not the most effective form of governance. Sack the officers!
Sounds to me like a typical case of Labour Councillors our Labour MP and our Labour AM having no damn clue what is going on or how to run a local government. Time for the whole lot of them to get out of the way and let real local people run our communities. And of course our complicit Plaid AM acting as though he has not been a facilitator of this exact same problem for his whole political career. Labour and Plaid are two sides of the same hopeless and ineffectual coin.
Plaid + Labour = two cheeks of the same behind!