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The Local Development Plan - Have your Say

The plan which will show the policies and proposals for the future development of land in Torfaen has reached an important stage. The Preferred Strategy of the Torfaen Local Development Plan (LDP) will soon be available for everyone to look at and give their views. The consultation is from 28 January to 10 March. It has been developed with a range of stakeholders and is based on a vision and set of objectives developed from the Torfaen Community Strategy. The LDP Strategy identifies a range of opportunities for investment and regeneration including provision for the new homes, jobs, community facilities and transport infrastructure that will be needed up to 2021 for Torfaen to become a better place to live, work and visit. The LDP will also identify land that needs to be protected for its conservation and heritage importance.

 

The Preferred Strategy Proposals Document is available for public consultation in January for six weeks. This is an opportunity for the public, communities and stakeholders to comment on the choice of preferred strategy and influence its development by giving their views and suggested changes. This consultation is one of the most important stages in the preparation and gives everyone with an interest in the future development of Torfaen an opportunity to have their say on the proposals.

 

Linking Torfaen’s communities

 

The main elements of the Preferred Strategy are:

• Ensure a network of integrated communities focusing particularly on the key settlements of Cwmbran and Pontypool to ensure that they are successful and support for the surrounding settlements.
• Growth will be focused in locations where major benefits are likely to occur.
• Promoting the tourism potential of Blaenavon.
• Effective transport links.
• Development would be located along key transport routes.
• Expanded settlements may potentially include Greenfield sites to cater for local needs.
• New housing provision of between 6,600 and 7,000 new homes.

Why you should get involved

 

The LDP will affect everyone in Torfaen so it’s important as many people as possible get involved now. The finalised plan will be used to guide major changes in Torfaen up to 2021. In the rest of this feature you can see how the plan will influence areas such as employment, housing and health. To bring the plan to life and make it easier for everyone to understand we have listed bullet points under each of the different areas to show what the LDP aims to achieve.

 

Minerals

• The LDP will need to investigate the need to safeguard potential sandstone aggregates, and shallow coal reserves.

Waste

• The plan aims to cut landfill and to reduce, reuse and recover waste.
• Strategic waste sites will need to be identified and safeguarded.

Health and Education

• Identify land for a relocated Pontypool College.
• Identify for a new 500 bed Specialist Critical Care Centre.
• Identify land for a new Local General Hospital.

Climate Change and Sustainable Development

• The LDP will minimise further climate change and also adapt to those effects of climate change which are already inevitable by:
• • not building in areas at risk from flooding or land instability.
  • prioritising the development of urban and brownfield sites.
  • prioritising well connected and accessible sites.

• The LDP will also:
• • require a minimum 10% reduction in CO2 emissions from all major new developments.
  • require a financial contribution from all non-carbon neutral developments to improve existing buildings.
  • require development to be resource efficient.
  • require development to consider renewable energy options.

Ecology and Biodiversity

• Protect and enhance important international, national, regional and local species and habitats. 
• Identify, protect and link the: -
• • Monmouthshire and Brecon canal.
  • Afon Llwyd river.
  • National Cycle Route.

Landscape and Heritage

• Identify new Special Landscape Areas.
• Identify and protect important Open Spaces.
• Important cultural and historical identity will be preserved.
• Strategic heritage assets will be acknowledged and promoted. Strategic assets are:
• • Blaenavon World Heritage Site/Historic Landscape.
  • Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal.
  • Pontypool Park & Garden.
  • Five existing Conservation Areas.

Transport

• Road bottlenecks and solutions will be addressed.
• Safeguard land for Pontypool Park & Ride train station.
• Emphasis on public transport, cycling and walking schemes.
• Measures to reduce the need to travel and the reliance on cars.

Retail

• Define the role and function of each town centre:-
• • Blaenavon - Consolidate district shopping centre role
  • Pontypool - Consolidate district shopping centre role
  • Cwmbran - Expand sub-regional shopping centre role
• Need to protect and enhance local shopping centres.

Employment

• The plan will identify 60 hectares of land for employment purposes.
• Existing key employment areas will be identified and retained.
• A key requirement is to ensure a choice and range of sites allowing opportunities throughout Torfaen.
• Redevelopment at both Pontypool and Cwmbran town centres will provide opportunities for new jobs.

Housing

• The plan will make provision for 7,000 new homes in Torfaen.
• The homes are expected to be spread as follows:
• • 900 new homes in North Torfaen.
  • 2,800 new homes in Pontypool.
  • 3,300 new homes in Cwmbran.
• Negotiations will ensure an element of affordable housing in new developments.
• The Deposit LDP will look at the need to identify new Gypsy / Traveller sites (both permanent and transit).

Leisure and Recreation

• Develop a new specific recreation and open space standard.
• Policies will be developed to protect open space and enable new provision.

How to have your say

 

The consultation starts on 28 January. You can view or obtain the documents and also find out how to get involved by visiting the LDP area of the website|.

 

Copies of the documents are also available for public inspection at the Civic Centre, Pontypool and County Hall, Cwmbran from Monday to Friday between 9am and 4.30pm. Copies are also available in all public libraries during their normal opening hours. For more information call the Local Development Plan team on 01633-648805 / 648140.