With the Conwy LDP review due to commence in October, Janet Finch-Saunders, AM for Aberconwy, has expressed her concerns over site allocations, and changes in Welsh Government guidance.
The Welsh Government Technical Advice Note 1 (TAN1) sets out that all local authorities have to provide enough land to meet that authority’s house-building needs for the next five years.
Following a Welsh Government consultation in 2014, changes to TAN1 came into force last year, restricting the ways in which local authorities can calculate land supply.
Planning policy also allows for the release of all contingency sites into the five year land supply, and concerns have been raised that all contingency sites will now become allocated sites, in the wake of the revised TAN1.
The Assembly Member has been led to understand that not all contingency sites in Conwy have been released, with some potentially considered undeliverable due to current market conditions.
Janet said: “Having fought tooth and nail alongside residents in opposing the application to develop housing on the land west of Parc Sychnant earlier this year [see notes], any departure from the Adopted LDP does give rise to some concern.
“Recent concerns have erupted over the Nant-y-Gamar site and land at the top of Marl Drive causing much consternation for many residents. However responses sent to the WG regarding TAN1 were signed off by the relevant Head /s of Service and the Cabinet Member only, as opposed to obtaining democratic approval through the democratic committee process.”
Janet added:
“Decisions of such magnitude taken last year regarding major changes to our Local Development plan should not have gone under the radar, and over the heads of our residents.
“Given our previous battles to bring some common sense into the depositing of our LDP, and previous efforts to reduce the housing numbers imposed on us by the Welsh Labour Government, such a deviation from our current plan to allow for TAN 1 will have major implications for us in terms of protecting our green field sites and it beggars belief that currently elected Councillors were not even aware of this.
“Residents will be concerned to learn that such deviations to the current LDP have taken place.
“This decision must now be scrutinised through a formal democratic process and I urge all currently elected Councillors to recall the consultation response sent to the Welsh Government in January 2015.
“This will provide them with the ability to discuss and debate the TAN 1 requirements in some greater detail and thereby provide a response that is more able to resist widening the scope for future land developments.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The planning application for the land west of Parc Sychnant was turned down by the Council, but taken to appeal by the applicants. It is currently with the Planning Inspectorate for Wales, with a decision expected to be made by mid-December 2016.
