Caerphilly MP Wayne David asks Caerphilly County Borough Council to ‘think again’ over plans to build more homes

Caerphilly MP Wayne David has formally called on Caerphilly County Borough Council to ‘think again’ about its Draft Local Development Plan (LDP).

In a thousand word submission to the local authority, Mr David argues that the LDP wrongly places far too much emphasis on new houses in and around Caerphilly town and the surrounding areas.

Caerphilly County Borough Council is currently consulting on its new Local Development Plan (LDP) – a planning ‘blueprint’ for the county borough – for the next 16 years.

The draft LDP proposes that a new road could be built between Van Road and the A469 Mountain Road, to support the development of between 450 and 500 homes on the site of the former Ness Tar Plant and the surrounding land of Nant y Calch Farm.

But residents are unhappy claiming any new road and development would lead to further congestion and the loss of green space.

Also included in the draft plan is the potential to allow 1,700 homes to be built in Maesycwmmer and improvements to the A472 bottleneck in the area, either by improving the road or by building a new bypass.

Gwernau Ganol and Gwerna Fawr Farm in Maesycwmmer have been earmarked for the new housing estate, which if built could include a new primary school.

The proposed road, again if built, would be to the south of the new housing.

Mr David said: “As the council’s consultation period draws to a close, I have asked Caerphilly Council to think again. Many of my constituents have expressed concern about the LDP and I agree with them.

“There is a need for new houses but there ought to be ‘balanced’ development throughout the Borough. In its current form, the LDP places far too much emphasis on developing the south and nowhere near enough emphasis on developing the Upper Rhymney Valley.

“I am therefore urging the council to take into account public opinion, as well as my views, and to re-draft the LDP.”

The first consultation phase on the LDP ends on Tuesday March 24.

For more information on Caerphilly’s proposed LDP visit www.caerphilly.gov.uk.

Mr David’s Formal Response to the LDP
As the local MP for Caerphilly, I am writing to ask Caerphilly County Borough Council to take into account the following observations I have regarding the LDP.

1. I have received a number of representations from constituents who are concerned about various aspects of the LDP. Most of these constituents live in what the Local Authority calls the Southern Connections Corridor (SCC). While I warmly welcome the consultation process established by CCBC, I would hope that the strongly held views of many of my constituents are taken fully into account.

2. I note that the Preferred Strategy divides the County Borough into three strategic areas – The Heads of the Valleys Regeneration Area, the Mid-Valleys Corridor and the Southern Connections Corridor. This is consistent with how the Local Authority has approached the economic and social development of the borough for some time. However, I have concerns about the relative emphasis which the Local Authority places on the development of each area.
In general terms, the northern part of the Borough is by far the least prosperous part of the borough. Indeed, as the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation and the work of Professor Stephen Fothergill of Hallam University demonstrate, the northern part of the borough contains most of the deprived areas in the whole of Wales. My concern is that by placing a disproportionally large emphasis on the development of the middle (including near Nelson) and the southern parts of the borough, the differentiation between the north and the south will be accentuated and the deep-seated problems in the north will be compounded rather than addressed.

3. Housing is of course a central aspect of the LDP and the relatively large scale development of the borough near and around Caerphilly town is of particular concern. This is in sharp contrast to the proposed development of the Upper Rhymney Valley.

The figures of the envisaged housing development are stark. While 660 new dwellings are proposed near Bargoed, north of Bargoed sees only 200 new dwellings proposed in an area which stretches up to the Heads of the Valleys. Yet in the western part of the SCC, near Caerphilly town, there are over 2000 new dwellings proposed. This in an extremely worrying contrast which will only serve to widen the gap between the north and the south of the borough.
4. There is no doubt that private developers have a far greater interest in seeking to build houses in and around Caerphilly because of the growth potential and draw of Cardiff and its immediate environs. It is also been suggested that Housing Associations also share this view. But in discussions I have had with Housing Associations, they have indicated that they too are concerned about the lack of attention being given to the north and as they, correctly, wish to see an increase in mixed housing areas, they have little option but to follow the lead provided by the private sector. The view held by private developers is extremely short-sighted and does not take into account current initiatives to rejuvenate valley communities.

5. In my view, Caerphilly County Borough Council and other Local Authorities in the valleys ought to make strong representations to the Welsh Government about this issue. Despite the continuing adverse economic climate, 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. Because of well-established economic market factors it is extremely unlikely that significant economic investment will be attracted to the Upper Rhymney Valley. If this is the case, the social deprivation of this area will only be made much worse if there are relatively few new private or social houses built in the area. The implicit suggestion that little can be done to reverse the depopulation of the upper part of the Rhymney Valley is at variance with the rationale behind the South Wales Metro. This flagship project, being taken forward by the Welsh Government, seeks to connect areas like the Upper Rhymney Valley to the capital city.

6. Importantly, large scale housing on the scale envisaged by the LDP in the SCC would create two distinct problems for the Caerphilly basin area.

Firstly, much of the Caerphilly basin is renowned for its natural beauty. It can be argued that already existing housing developments have detracted from the natural beauty of the area but if some or all of the proposed developments were to come about, the impact on this area would be extremely serious. At a time when there is a growing appreciation of the countryside and rurally-based leisure, it would, in my view, be unjustifiable for the LDP to favour such an encroachment upon Greenfield areas.

Secondly, building such a large number of houses in the SCC would place enormous strain upon the area’s infrastructure. The pressure on schools, amenities, sewage and water supplies would be considerable and, undoubtedly, there would be a massive increase in the pressure on the already strained transport infrastructure. Although it is hoped that there would be a new passenger line in the area, I am not aware of any serious consideration currently being given to new roads in the area. Indeed, the construction of new roads themselves would be problematic as they too would encroach upon large swathes of pristine countryside. As things stand, commuters from Aber Valley, Caerphilly and Machen, experience acute traffic congestion during rush hours. Given that most of the new household would be inhabited by young families who own one or two cars, the increase in road use in the area would be huge.

Conclusion:
In light of the above, I am of the view that following the period of welcome consultation, Caerphilly County Borough Council ought to ‘think again’. I would like to see, and indeed I urge the Council to draw-up, a new LDP in the light of what I believe is ‘over-whelming public opinion’. Caerphilly Council correctly prides itself on being a ‘listening’ Authority; I am sure that on this occasion CCBC will listen to the people.
Yours sincerely,

Wayne David
MP for Caerphilly