Local Development Plan news
You may be wandering what’s happened to the preparation of LDP2 – the National Park’s replacement Local Development Plan for the plan period 2018 – 2033?
Having gathered views on a preferred strategy in 2019, the National Park Authority was due to agree a full draft of the Local Development Plan earlier this summer.
We now intend to revisit the preferred strategy, although precisely when remains unclear. Hopefully in the new year. Our first step will be to draft and seek opinions on a revised delivery agreement.
There are lots of reasons for this:
· Future Wales – The National Plan 2040 has now been laid at the Senedd and is set to be published in February 2021. This is a plan with which LDP2 must be in general conformity and it sets new challenges for LDP2 to address, not least the introduction of a new regional tier of ‘Strategic Development Plans’, which are to be prepared by Corporate Joint Committees. The National Park Authority continues to advocate strongly for a National Park Policy be included within Future Wales – The National Plan 2040; if successful this would mean the planning context for development within National Parks would be set at the national level, leaving the focus for LDP2 on bringing forward appropriate community development.
· New well-being objectives have been agreed for the National Park Authority and the State of the Park Report is set to be agreed, we await the outcome of discussions with stakeholders over the new National Park Management Plan, which sets critical context for LDP2.
· Key evidence has been delayed – we still await the publication by Stats Wales of the 2018-based National Park population projections to 2039, understandably not their number one priority during the pandemic.
· Key Candidate Sites in Brecon have been withdrawn, meaning they will not be available for development.
Despite the delay, of some comfort is that the Welsh Government has recently clarified that the existing LDP will continue to be recognised as a ‘Development Plan’ until it is replaced meaning that it can continue to be used as the basis for determining planning applications past 2022 if necessary.
The requirement to publish an Annual Monitoring Report has also been suspended this year.
For further information please contact Chris O’Brian, Senior Planning Officer christopher.obrien@beacons-npa.gov.uk Tel: 07966522929