Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council are required by law to prepare and maintain a Local Development Plan (LDP). The current LDP (2006 – 2021) was adopted in 2011. A formal Review of the LDP (2006 – 2021) was considered necessary in early 2019 and was undertaken from June, following RCT Cabinet approval. On the 17th October 2019, Cabinet approved the subsequent comprehensive Draft Review Report. There followed a period of targeted consultation with statutory stakeholders on this document; prior to Council then agreeing the final LDP (2006 – 2021) Review Report on the 27th November 2019. Its primary conclusion was the need to prepare a Revised LDP. It was then subsequently approved by Welsh Government on 14th September 2020. The Review Report may be viewed
here.
If you wish to view a hard copy of the document, this is available to view at our libraries and One4All centres. A copy of the document is also available for inspection at our principal office at Sardis House Pontypridd during normal office hours, subject to prior appointment.
The broader findings of the Review Report were as follows;
Since the production of the current LDP, there have been multiple contextual changes in many social, economic and environmental aspects of society, and therefore in association with the LDP and its delivery. Aligned with this are the major changes that have taken place in national legislation and national planning policy since the preparation of the current LDP. The outcome of all this is that the current evidence base for the LDP needs to be thoroughly updated and expanded as appropriate. Ultimately, this and further evidence would need to be gathered to revise the Plan’s Strategy, along with all the associated policies and allocations, as necessary.
The findings of the 10 published LDP Annual Monitoring Reports to date have also shown that considerable development has taken place in all the LDP topic areas over the plan period. However, this is not on the scale identified in the Plan, nor on all the site allocations. Furthermore, the planning department have received numerous planning applications outside LDP settlement boundaries, which are more difficult to determine in a consistent manner. The current Plan has an end date of 2021.
There was also the consideration of the future plan period and its association with the Strategic Development Plan (SDP) for the ten Local Authorities in South East Wales. Rhondda Cynon Taf have agreed to be part of and contribute to the SDP. It was considered that a Revised LDP would come into force in advance of the SDP, but sit underneath it in terms of hierarchy of plans. The emergence of the Future Wales: The National Plan 2040 and regional considerations within that, would enable for measured decisions to be made to seek to align the Revised LDP with the emerging SDP.
For further information on the Revised LDP, please contact the Planning Policy Team as below. It would be preferable to receive contact via email, as follows:
The team are based at the following address, although working from home practises are in place. Communication via post may be subject to an element of delay.
Planning Policy Team
2 Llys Cadwyn
Taff Street
Pontypridd
CF37 4TH
Tel: 01443 281129