The Welsh Government has said it has “fundamental concerns” over Caerphilly County Borough Council’s draft Local Development Plan (LDP).
Essentially a planning blueprint to guide future development, the draft LDP, if approved, could pave the way for thousands of new homes across the county borough – many on green space.
Public consultation on the controversial document ended in April with residents and local campaign groups voicing their anger.
The Welsh Government, in its submission, stated: “After reviewing your Deposit LDP and its evidence, the Welsh Government has fundamental concerns in respect of the lack of evidence to demonstrate the delivery of the LDP strategy in relation to key sites in the plan.”
Written by civil servant Mark Newey, the response said that concerns raised previously with council officers “do not appear to have been adequately addressed”.
It continued: “The Welsh Government remains concerned that key elements of your LDP are not supported by evidence in respect of viability, funding and timescales for delivery.
“Whilst it will be for the Planning Inspectorate to determine the soundness of the plan, we are of the view that there is a significant risk the LDP may be found unsound if these issues are not addressed.”
It also questioned the methodology the council used in calculating how many new homes would be needed.
The draft LDP, if adopted, will layout where developers can build for the next 15 years.
In Maesycwmmer, around 1,800 homes are planned for Gwernau Ganol and Gwerna Fawr Farm. This is in addition to a new road by-pass for the A472.
At Gwern y Domen Farm in Rudry, around 600 new homes are planned, as are around 600 in Nelson, and 630 on the site of Bedwas Colliery.
Around 685 homes could be built on the site of the former Ness Tar Plant and the surrounding area of Nant y Calch Farm near Caerphilly town in addition to a new by-pass going from Van Road, over the mountain and joining the A469.
An independent planning inspector will take into account the consultation responses and publish a report in September next year.
This is the only time changes can be made to the LDP – if the inspector recommends it.
Another vote is then needed by full council before the LDP is formally adopted.
In a letter to Lesley Griffiths AM, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Caerphilly AM Hefin David, who as a county borough councillor voted against the draft LDP, called for it to be withdrawn.
Dr David said: “Caerphilly councillors [in February] decided to put this plan to the public for consultation because they felt that they had no other alternative. Without a plan that meets housing demand, they saw that even more green-field sites, across a much wider area would be vulnerable to speculative planning applications, which would be won by developers following costly appeals.
“Housing demand is a real and pressing issue in our area and we must address it, making sure that such housing is affordable. However, the planning process must also be fit for purpose.
“Local Development Plans do not provide for effective planning strategies as they are mismatched across local authority boundaries. This is why I would like Caerphilly’s plan to be withdrawn.
“Developers should understand that we need to take more time over our planning processes and this is reflected in the criticism by Welsh Government. It is no wonder that we are seeing over-development in some areas, with disconnected transport strategies.”
Plaid Cymru councillor Lindsay Whittle, who in the last Assembly was AM for South East Wales, has also called for the draft LDP to be scrapped and has written to new Secretary for Local Government Mark Drakeford AM.
The veteran politician, who stood against Dr David in the election, said: “Plaid Cymru councillors opposed the LDP strongly and the recent Assembly election campaign in Caerphilly highlighted the enormous opposition to unsuitable developments across the Caerphilly County Borough area, such as Gwern-y-Domen and Caerphilly Mountain. There is even opposition from over the border in Cardiff to more housing and more traffic on the mountain.
“The Labour council needs to go back to the drawing board and start again, giving priority to the development of brown field sites. We must protect our precision green fields.”
A spokesman for Caerphilly County Borough Council said: “The Welsh Government is one of many stakeholders invited to submit representations as part of the formal LDP consultation process.
“The points raised will be considered alongside all the other feedback received to date. We will work with the Welsh Government over the coming months to address key areas and ensure that the plan is ‘sound’ when submitted for examination by the inspector.”
The LDP produced by the CCBC is not a plan at all, merely a box ticking exercise cooked up by council employees whose work was not properly led and scrutinised by our elected representatives.
An ideal chance to consign this ‘plan’ to the dust bin was lost in February when all but one Labour members voted in favour of its adoption. This would have left the council without an LDP but better that than sending this version to government and inviting ridicule.
It won’t be very long until the CCBC becomes just part of history when local government reorganiation takes place, so the absence of a ridiculous plan will not make the slightest difference.
It should also be noted, and this can be seen on the podcast of the meeting which considered the proposed plan, that officers were left celebrating the lead officer with backslapping and smiles of delight.
This grotesque spectacle is professionally and constitutionally unacceptable in a democracy. A perfect case of the tail wagging the dog.
The Cabinet member for planning holds all the strings on this process of course but, we have not heard a word from him, he is the elected
Councillor responsible for what has now happened under the scrutiny of the LDP recommendations by the National Assemby, and I suppose will have to explain it to the Council and the public?. and I suppose he will do so.
The plan needs to be ditched in its current form. and this time proper and meaningful consultation with the public should take place, including at the point when Officers consider the results of those consultations, preferably in public, and BEFORE any proposed LDP is put before Elected Members
Tell, isn’t this surprising. Labour cannot even write an LPD correctly. I have a suggestion for them. Take a map of Caerphilly, colour every piece of grass red and put in block capitals at the top “CAERPHILLY IS BUSY. THERE WILL BE NO MORE BUILDING. SUCK IT UP AND SHUT UP!”
It will be highly popular with the locals.
It’s the locals who keep voting Liebour back into power, you reap what you sow.
Of course you are perfectly accurate, Labour were voted into power in Caerphilly County Borough Council and now we all live under the processes and policies over which they have power.
The test will be Next May (2017) (to see if the people of the Borough agree with you), when they cast thier votes for a new Council. It is up to local politicians to be judged on thier actions at that time.
I dare say 99% of Caerphilly residents (perhaps more) would never agree with me and the result of the May 2017 council election will be yet another landslide victory for Labour, as long as the sun keeps rising in the morning Labour will hold Caerphilly, and they know it….C’est la vie.
Political parties do not formulate LDPs, council workers do. The problem is the lack of scrutiny by elected members. Plaid and Labour are equally useless at this so people need to vote for other parties if they don’t want all our farmland and forests built on.
This may be the case Mr Williams, However is it not the local councillors who give the final say so. I have never yet met a local councillor from any party who represents the wishes of the local people. In my view all the councillors are interested in is their own ego and for what ever they can get out of it from these developers, and then go and call it progress. Developers of course are only interested in money with no regard for local people and the habitats they wish to destroy. So in all, local people are in a no win situation. No matter who is in power, or from where ever that power is located, the developers will build these houses, because the councillors do not have the balls to stand up to and represent the local peoples wishes. In addition has the desire for what the developers have plenty in abundance, MONEY.
“COUNCILLOR” WILLIAMS THAT IS, Paul, not that he will tell you that, but a bit of respect man. otherwise I agree with what you say, not the way you say it of course, your interpretation is bit harsh!!!.
But, could it be that due to the intervention of the Welsh Government, with pressure from the Labour Constituency Assembly Member Hefin David, that the Labour members of Caerphilly council will rethink the situation and instruct officers to go back to the drawing board and come up with proposals that properly reflect the accaptance of residents up and down the Valley of whatever evolves from the rethink,
Officers do not run the council and the current situation is the result of the `cosy` relationship between a few dilitory Councillors and senior officers of the Council. Resulting in transient officers imposing thier will on the people of a Borough most of them do NOT live in.