Decision details

The Director, Prosperity and Development presented the report and reminded Members that on the 18^th of June 2019, Cabinet agreed to undertake a review of the Rhondda Cynon Taf Local Development Plan (LDP) and agreed for officers to commence work on the preparation of a formal LDP Review Report and a Draft Delivery Agreement for the revision of the LDP.

Members were referred to the LDP Review Report, which was attached at Appendix 1. Within the LDP Review Report was the key considerations and conclusions of the review of the Plan.  The Director advised that the evidence was gathered over the past 8 years in relation to the monitoring of the LDP, the success of its delivery and appropriateness of its policies and allocations.

The Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development & Housing commented that even in times of austerity, the Local Development Plan policies had been successfully delivered.

With the agreement of the Leader, as Chairman of the Committee, County Borough Councillor P. Jarman spoke on the item, to which the Leader responded.

Discussion ensued around specific sites within RCT and the lack of funding for land reclamation projects. The Leader advised that the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal were hoping to secure Welsh Government match funding to help bring forward stalled sites within the Valleys.

The Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.     To approve the content and conclusion of the Rhondda Cynon Taf Local Development Plan Review Report, which outlines the reasons for and the need to revise the Local Development Plan for Rhondda Cynon Taf;

2.     That the Review Report is to be circulated to targeted key stakeholder bodies (such as NRW, utility companies and Planning Inspectorate Wales) in order to gain their formal comments on the content and conclusions of the report. Welsh Government have already been involved in early stages of the preparation and content of the report, and will continue to be so; and

3.     To give authorisation to the Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Housing to determine, through a delegated decision, that appropriate amendments are made to the Review Report, prior to reporting the Review Report to Council for approval.