Introduction

The Local Development Plan is the statutory framework for the development and use of land within Caerphilly County Borough.  It replaces existing Structure Plans, Local Plans, and the Council Approved Unitary Development Plan, April 2003.  This introduction outlines the role of the Plan, its relationship to other strategies and guidance, and the consultation process.

The Town and Country Planning system is designed to regulate the development and use of land in the public interest. It seeks to reconcile the development needs of the population with the wider environmental concerns for the conservation of the man-made and natural environment. It also aims to ensure that the most efficient use is made of limited land resources, whilst at the same time stimulating the local economy, for the benefit of present and future generations.

The focus of the LDP is to be clear, transparent, concise, accessible to the public and easier to review in the future.

As a part of the LDP process the Council has engaged with residents, service users, stakeholders and partners in a meaningful and cost effective way. The Government’s stated intention in changing the planning system is to make it:

• faster;
• more responsive to change
• improve community in the plan preparation process.

The purpose of the LDP is to:

• Provide a practical and detailed basis for the control of the development and use of land through the ‘development control’ system.  It will provide potential developers with a clear indication of the type and location of development which the County Borough Council would accept and encourage, and an equally clear indication of the circumstances in which development will be resisted

• Afford protection to the natural and built environment to ensure that in the long term the most valuable aspects of the environment are conserved for the benefit of future generations

• Provide an incentive to developers by allocating land for particular types of development, thus stimulating the use and development of land. The Plan, therefore, has a promotional role in the development of the County Borough and provides a framework for investment decisions

• Bring local and detailed planning issues before the public. The LDP provides a clear indication of the likely land-use changes within the County Borough, and how those changes are likely to affect specific interests. Arrangements are made for people and organisations to comment on the policies and proposals in the Plan and so influence its content

The LDP covers all types of development and use of land. It is concerned with land-use issues and spatial planning, rather than the management of land and/or development priorities or programmes.

In preparing its LDP, the Council has had regard to:

• The Wales Spatial Plan (produced by WAG)

• The Wales Transport Strategy (produced by WAG)

• National Planning Policy (produced by WAG):

  • Planning Policy Wales (PPW) (2002)

  • MineralsPlanning Policy Wales (MPPW) (2000)

  • Technical Advice Notes (Wales) (TANs) (a series)

  • Minerals Technical Advice Notes (Wales) (MTANs) (a series)

  • Ministerial Interim Planning Policy Statement for Minerals

  • Planning Circulars (a series)

The Welsh Assembly Government has encouraged collaborative working between local authorities to create a sub-regional context for strategic planning basis.  The Council has input into various regional and sub-regional plans and strategies, with the LDP having regard to their content:

• The South East Wales Development Strategy (SEWEF)

• The Regional Transport Plan (Sewta)

• The Waste Strategy and the Regional Waste Plan (SEWRWG)

• The Regional Technical Statement for Aggregate Minerals

• The Regional Household Apportionment (SEWSPG)

The Local Development Plan is one of four key strategies that Local Authorities in Wales have to prepare.  The other three are:

• The Community Strategy
• The Children and Young People’s Plan
• The Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Strategy

The Local Development Plan is a key means of delivering the land use elements of these and other strategies.  The four strategies should all link together to achieve their various aims.

Guidance on preparation procedures can be found in the following:

• Local Development Plans: Policy on Preparation of LDPs (WAG 2005)
• Local Development Plan Manual (WAG 2006)
• The Town and Country Planning (Local Development Plan) (Wales) Regulations 2005 - Welsh Statutory Instrument 2005 No. 2839 (W.203)
• Planning Policy Wales Companion Guide (WAG 2006)

The Local Development Plan has been prepared in accordance with the WAG approved Delivery Agreement (DA) which contains the following:

• The Community Involvement Scheme (CIS), and
• The timetable for the preparation of the Plan

The CIS sets out the Council’s principles, strategy and mechanisms for early and continuous community and stakeholder engagement throughout the LDP process.  This is a fundamental element of the new development plan system.  These principles ensure that community involvement carried out by, or on behalf of, the Council is done in a way that is consistent, coherent and co-ordinated.  The Council has complied with the requirements for community engagement set out in the CIS.

The Council’s project management timetable details the various stages of the preparation of the LDP, how the process of plan preparation has been project-managed and the resources that have been required at each stage.

Under Section 62 (6a) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, local authorities are required to carry out a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) of development plans.  The SA balances economic and social justice criteria with environmental issues.  In addition, the EU’s Directive (2001/42/EC) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) requires that protection of the environment be given a high priority in the preparation of development plans.  The SA and SEA can be handled in one assessment process, as the SEA forms an integral part of the SA.

The SEA/SA process ensures that sustainability is at the heart of decisions at every stage of plan preparation.  The purpose of the SEA/SA is to appraise the social, environmental and economic effects of LDP proposals and policies to ensure that they accord with the principles of sustainable development as well as improving the environmental performance of the Plan as a whole.

The following SEA/SA reports were prepared and published for consultation purposes,alongside the Deposit LDP:

Part One

• The Scoping Report

• The Review of Relevant Plans, Programmes and Policies

• The Assessment of the Preferred and Alternative Strategies

Part Two

• The Environmental Report

• The Habitats Regulation Assessment

The European Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) requires a habitats regulation assessment (HRA), encompassing an appropriate assessment (AA), to be undertaken for any plan or project that may have an effect, either individually or in combination with other plans or projects, on a European designated site.  European designated sites are defined as Ramsar sites (wetlands of international importance) Special Protection Areas for birds (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).  Whilst there are no Ramsar sites or SPAs in the County Borough, Caerphilly has one SAC, namely Aberbargoed Grasslands.

As an integral part of the new development plan system it is the responsibility of the appointed independent Inspector to consider the soundness of the Development Plan as a whole during the Examination into the Plan.  A straightforward interpretation of “sound” is that it “shows good judgement” and “is able to be trusted”.  Local Development Plans Wales – Dec 2005, provides 10 criteria for assessing ‘Soundness’, which relate to the process by which the Local Development Plan has been prepared by the Council, its consistency and its coherence and effectiveness.  A self assessment in respect of the soundness of the LDP has been undertaken and can be viewed at www.caerphilly.gov.uk

To ensure that time is not spent examining in detail a plan that is procedurally unsound the Inspector carried out an early screening of the LDP to ensure that it has been prepared in accordance with the Delivery Agreement including the Community Involvement Scheme.  It is in the Council’s interest therefore to ensure that the Delivery Agreement including the Community Involvement Scheme has been adhered to throughout the plan preparation process.  It is also the responsibility of all stakeholders in the process to facilitate the process by meeting the requirements made of them as outlined in the Delivery Agreement.

The LDP comprises three parts:

• Section A The Development Strategy
• Section B County-Wide Policies
• Section C Area Specific Policies

Section A comprises a written statement that presents the Council’s Development Strategy and the strategy policies that will deliver it over the Plan period.  In this respect, Section A indicates: the general provision to be made for housing, employment, retail and transport throughout the Plan period; defines the settlement strategy and the road hierarchy; provides an indication of where improvement and protection of the strategic highway, leisure and infrastructure network will be pursued and provides an indication of the areas within the County Borough where policies for restraint will be appropriate.  Section A identifies the broad Aims of the Plan and provides the Objectives that need to be met to achieve these Aims.

Section B comprises the criteria-based policies against which development proposals submitted as planning applications across the whole of the County Borough will be determined

Section C contains the site-specific allocations where development is expected to locate, and where land use protection areas are to be found.  The realisation of these land allocations within the lifetime of the Planwill ensure the success of the development strategy.

At the end of Section C there is a list of Appendices providing supporting information to the main body of the LDP text.  These Appendices form part of the LDP and have been referenced throughout the main document as appropriate.

The Proposals Map shows the geographical location and extent of the site-specific development and protection policies that are designated within the LDP. 

Alongside the Plan, a Constraints Map has been produced which shows the geographical location and extent of constraints to development arising outside of the LDP. It includes the location of features such as sites of special scientific interest, conservation areas and flood plains. Although the Constraints Map is not part of the LDP the Council will also have regard to these factors where relevant in the consideration of development proposals. The matters shown on the Constraints Map are in some cases designations by statutory bodies other than the Council, and may be subject to change. The Council Web Site will host the dynamic Constraints Map, which will illustrate the up-to-date data at www.caerphilly.gov.uk.

The LDP should be read as a whole, many of the Plan’s objectives, strategies and policies are crosscutting and inter-related.  Decisions on development proposals will have regard to the relevant policies in the Plan and the requirements of National Planning Policy.

The LDP is the only document that the planning authority is statutorily required to produce as the framework of the land-use element of the planning system.  However, the planning system is far more than a development control framework.  It also has a major role in community regeneration, environmental improvement, setting quality standards and encouraging development.  The LDP is designed to be part of a package of documents and strategies that support and strengthen each other.

There are three types of supporting document:

• Background Papers which set out the detailed information and reasoning behind the policies and proposals (for example: Topic based Papers and documents detailing the SA / SEA / HRA processes)

Supplementary Planning Guidance:

• Action Plans which set out a framework for the development of and improvement to specific locations linking management proposals and action programmes to the land-use framework in the LDP (Town Centre Action Plans, Local Action Plans, Conservation Area Enhancement Plans)

• Design Guides / Development Guides which set out in detail the standards which development conforming to the policy criteria of the LDP must adhere to (Obligations SPG, Development Design Guides, Site Development / Design Briefs and Conservation Area Design Briefs)

Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) will be produced and will be the subject of appropriate public consultation.  SPG is not part of the LDP itself.  Where appropriate in the LDP, cross-reference is made to supporting documents, which should be read in conjunction with the land-use policies and proposals so that advice and guidance is both clear and complete.

The LDP will become operative on the date it is adopted by the Council for the purposes of Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.  As a consequence of the adoption of the LDP the following plans will be cancelled

Unitary Development Plan

1. Council Approved Unitary Development Plan (April 2003)

Relevant Structure Plans

2. Adopted Gwent Structure Plan (March 1996)
3. Mid Glamorgan County Structure Plan: Approved Plan Incorporating Proposed Alterations No.1 (September 1989)

Local Plans

4. Adopted Islwyn Local Plan (January 1996)
5. Adopted Caerphilly Basin Local Plan (October 1983)
6. Adopted Nelson and Treharris Local Plan (September 1983)
7. Adopted Upper Rhymney Valley Local Plan (March 1986)
8. Adopted Mid Rhymney Valley Local Plan (July 1986)

For the avoidance of doubt, the following plans are also cancelled:       

1. Approved Rhymney Valley District Local Plan (November 1996)
2. Mid Glamorgan County Draft Replacement Structure Plan 1991-2006: Incorporating Proposed Modifications to the Deposited Plan (March 1996) Approved November 1996
3. Mineral Local Plan for Limestone Quarrying in Mid Glamorgan, Deposit Report (March 1995)
4. Gwent Aggregate Minerals Local Plan, Modified Draft Plan (April 1988).

Delivering Sustainable Development

The Government of Wales Act 1998 placed a duty upon the National Assembly for Wales to promote sustainable development in the exercise of its function.  This was translated into action through the Assembly’s Sustainable Development Scheme Starting to Live Differently (2004).

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 placed a requirement upon Local Planning Authorities to prepare a Local Development Plan (LDP) for their County Borough, exercising the function with the objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development.

In producing the LDP, the Council has had regard to national planning policies.  The Assembly Government’s national land use planning policies are set out in Planning Policy Wales, Circulars and Ministerial Interim Planning Policy Statements (MIPPS) supplemented by Technical Advice Notes (TANs). 

Mineral Planning Policy Wales (MPPW) sets out the land use planning policy of the Assembly Government in relation to mineral extraction and related development in Wales, which includes all minerals and substances (including onshore oil, gas and coal bed methane) in, on or under land extracted either by underground or surface working. MPPW is supplemented by Mineral Technical Advice Notes (MTANs) and Ministerial Interim Minerals Planning Policy Statements (MIMPPS).

In accordance with guidance contained in LDP Wales, LDPs should have regard to national planning policies, but they should not repeat them. The LDP should therefore be considered in conjunction with the Planning Policy Wales Companion Guide, which identifies those areas where clear statements of national development control policy should not need to be repeated as local policies in the LDP. It should be noted therefore that the LDP only provides the policy framework for issues of a locally distinct nature. Development Proposals that do not present specific locally distinct issues will be assessed in accordance with the requirements of National Planning Policy.

Caerphilly County Borough Council is the Mineral Planning Authority with responsibility for planning control over minerals exploration and working within the County Borough. There is no companion guide to MPPW. However, the Council considers that, on minerals issues, national policy and guidance is sufficiently clear and therefore will be relied upon in the determination of planning applications in relation to mineral extraction and related development, in conjunction with any relevant countywide policies and site-specific policies contained within the LDP

National policy and guidance, taken together with the policies in the LDP, set out the planning framework for Caerphilly County Borough. It is important to remember that policies are interrelated and must be read together to understand their combined effect upon a planning proposal.

The Wales Spatial Plan, approved by the Welsh Assembly in 2004, provides a broad strategic framework for development and other plans.

The Wales Spatial Plan 2008 Update divides South East Wales functionally into three zones.  The City and Coast zone includes the M4 corridor and the cities of Cardiff and Newport, just south of Caerphilly County Borough.  The central zone, termed the Connections Corridor, links the prosperous City and Coast zone to deprived communities in the Heads of the Valleys Plus zone.

The bulk of the County Borough, containing over 80% of the population, lies in the Connections Corridor, with the remainder in the Heads of the Valleys zone.  The Caerphilly County Borough Local Development Plan carries this sub-division further by defining a ‘Southern Connections Corridor’ (SCC) in which development pressures from Cardiff and Newport are strongest where the environment is under particular pressure, and a ‘Northern Connections Corridor’ (NCC) where the County Borough’s major conurbation is situated and where the capacity for economic growth is greatest.

The Wales Spatial Plan 2008 Update identifies ‘Key Settlements’ in each of the six areas of Wales.  These key settlements are seen as locations for growth and for the provision of services and employment for the wider catchment areas they serve.  Unlike the other five areas of Wales, the South East Area section of the WSP does not identify all the key settlements in the region but only the 14 ‘primary’ key settlements.  These include Caerphilly and Blackwood.  One area section, Pembrokeshire, also identifies ‘local centres’

The Caerphilly LDP develops the WSP strategy in more detail by identifying a further three important Key Settlements (Bargoed, Ystrad Mynach and Risca/Pontymister) in addition to Caerphilly and Blackwood.  For the purposes of the LDP, these settlements have been termed ‘Principal Towns’.  The Plan also identifies four other centres, equivalent to WSP ‘Local Centres,’ namely Newbridge, Nelson, Bedwas and Rhymney.

The other five area sections of the WSP also grouped related and complementary Key Settlements into ‘hubs’ offering a wider range of facilities and greater economic potential than the individual settlements on their own.  The Caerphilly LDP identifies such a ‘hub’ in the mid valley conurbation that encompasses Blackwood, Ystrad Mynach, Bargoed and Newbridge, together containing a population of 65,000.

The Heads of the Valleys Strategy sits firmly within the context of the Wales Spatial Plan and has provided the broad framework for change within the Heads of the Valleys Area.  The Strategy was developed around five priority themes:

• An attractive and well-used natural historic and built environment

• A vibrant economic landscape offering new opportunities

• A well-educated, skilled and healthier population

• An appealing and coherent tourism and leisure experience

• Public confidence in a shared brighter future

The Heads of the Valleys Strategy Area includes the Upper Rhymney Valley and the Upper Sirhowy Valley areas encompassing the settlements of Princetown, Rhymney, Abertysswg, Pontlottyn, Fochriw, Deri, New Tredegar, Bargoed, Aberbargoed, Gilfach, Argoed, Markham and Hollybush.  The development strategy for the Plan harnesses and exploits the opportunities afforded to the north of the County Borough brought about by the Heads of the Valleys Strategy

The Plan ensures that sufficient land is available in the County Borough for all the services required by its residents.  Land requirements are largely dependent on the number of residents; therefore the future population level for which provision has to be made has been fundamental to the development of the Plan.  The most basic and important requirement for residents is a home, and land for housing is the largest single land use that the Plan has to accommodate.  Therefore, the issues of population and housing have been integral to the development of the Plan 

Ministerial Interim Planning Policy Statement 01/2006 Housing states: “The latest Assembly Government National and Sub-National Household Projections for Wales should form the starting point for assessing housing requirements.  Within each region local planning authorities should work together collaboratively, and with appropriate stakeholders as necessary, to apportion to each authority the Assembly Government household projections, or agree their own regional policy-based projections.”

The latest Assembly Government household projections have indicated that an increase in the number of households within the South East Wales Region of 108,900 between 2003 and 2023 is required to meet future population growth.  In line with WAG policy, Caerphilly County Borough Council has worked with the other 10 unitary authorities in the South East Wales region through the South East Wales Strategic Planning Group (SEWSPG) to consider the WAG regional household forecasts and to apportion the projections across the region.  Based upon factors such as previous house building rates, current land availability and environmental capacity, SEWSPG resolved that an apportionment figure of 9,750 dwellings over the Plan period was appropriate for Caerphilly County Borough.  The results of this exercise have been incorporated in a Memorandum of Understanding.  The apportionment figure proposed by SEWSPG has been accepted as the highest point considered within an identified rangeand through the over-allocation of land for housing has been accommodated within the LDP in order for Caerphilly to meet its regional responsibilities.

The South East Wales Transport Alliance (Sewta) has prepared the Regional Transport Plan (RTP) for South East Wales.  Sewta is required to deliver and implement a Regional Transport Plan under the Transport (Wales) Act 2006.  The RTP will form the blueprint for sustainable, integrated transport in the region based on policies to improve accessibility and increase the use of sustainable modes of travel.  The RTP will provide the framework for delivering the Assembly Government’s integrated transport strategy within South East Wales

The Council have had continuous dialogue with Sewta in developing the Plan to ensure that there is a clear and unambiguous relationship between policies in the LDP and the emerging RTP in order to deliver real transport improvement on the ground that are closely integrated with existing and future land use proposals.

The Regional Waste Plan (RWP) provides the framework for developing an integrated network of waste management facilities to treat and dispose of waste in South East Wales.  The document was subject to a 1^st Review, the contents of which has been approved by the constituent authorities of South East Wales and the document has been given due regard in the preparation of the LDP.  The Review sets out a Regional Waste Strategyindicating the preferred mix of waste management/resource recovery technologies and capacities for managing the forecast arisings of all controlled waste streams and aspatial element that guides the location of new facilities

Minerals Planning Policy Wales (2000) has set out the overarching policy guidance for all types of mineral extraction in Wales.  The guidance provides positively for the working of minerals resources to meet society’s needs and advocates identifying areas for future working where practicable and by safeguarding mineral resources from permanent development that would prevent their future working

The South Wales Regional Aggregates Working Party (SWRAWP) is charged with producing a Regional Technical Statement (RTS), which assumes only low growth in the use of primary aggregates and allocates the production to individual mineral planning authorities on the basis of environmental capacity.  It is assumed that any additional growth in demand will be met from secondary or recycles aggregate, although there are indications those alternative sources of aggregate have limited potential for growth

Under the Local Government Act 2000 the Council has a duty to prepare a community strategy for the County Borough.  The Community Strategy sets out the overarching strategic framework for all other plans and strategies for the County Borough.  The LDP has considered the aims and objectives of the community strategy that relate to land use in the development of objectives for the Plan.

'Community Planning in Action' sets out how the Council in partnership with other agencies and local communities will make the County Borough a place where people:

• like to live and want to stay and make a home - the Living Environment Theme;
• can find opportunities for (paid and unpaid) work that is rewarding - the Regeneration Theme;
• can develop a range of interests, knowledge and activities – the Education for Life Theme; and
• can lead a full, healthy life and get treatment, support and care as and when required – the Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Theme.

The Community Strategy for Caerphilly County Borough has the following overarching principles:

• To develop and maintain partnership-based planning and delivery of services to achieve sustainable social, economic and environmental well-being.
• To promote a culture where there are opportunities for all regardless of colour, ethnic origin, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, language or nationality.

The four themes have Strategic Partnerships in place to deliver the visions and meet the objectives outlined in the Community Strategy.  The LDP will facilitate the delivery of the land use elements of the Health, Social Care and Well Being Strategy, Living Environment Strategy and The Smart Alternative (the Regeneration Strategy) in particular.

Introduction

In order to ensure a robust basis for the development strategy, a review has been undertaken of the social, economic and environmental data available for issues affecting the County Borough.  A detailed discussion of the broad issues that are relevant to the LDP is contained in the ‘Strategic Environmental Assessment / Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report’.  A review of the data supports many of the issues identified through the pre-deposit public consultation exercise with key stakeholders and is summarised in this section

The population of the County Borough has remained relatively stable over the last decade at around 170,000.  However there has been significant change in the distribution of the population within the County Borough, with the loss of population in the north and an increase in population in the south.  For example, the population of the Upper Rhymney Valley has fallen by 8% between 1991 and 2001 from 30,625 to 28,111 whereas over the same period the population in Caerphilly Basin has increased by 4% from 50,765 to 52,996 (Censuses 1991 and 2001).

Although the population of Caerphilly has been constant, the number of houses required for residents has increased because of the long-term trend towards smaller households, which is caused by several factors.  There has been a long-term trend for families to have fewer children compared to past rates.  The break up of households due to divorce, and the increasing numbers of single-parent families, has led to smaller households.  There has been a significant increase in elderly households, reflecting both increased longevity and relative decline in the provision of institutional care (Office for National Statistics).

According to Government projections both the population and number of households in South East Wales could increase over the Plan period even more rapidly than recent trends suggest (WAG 2003-based Population and Household Projections).  The Plan consequently assumes an increase in the population of Caerphilly due to higher levels of in-migration than those currently experienced, leading to a population of 177,500 in 2021, and the need for 8,625 new dwellings over the Plan period (Population and Housing Background Paper).

11 of the 110 statistical areas in Caerphilly County Borough are in the top 10% of the most deprived areas in Wales (Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2005).

The highest overall concentration of deprivation in the County Borough is located in the Upper Rhymney Valley and the Upper Sirhowy Valley areas (Heads of the Valleys Regeneration area), although there are pockets of derivation in the Northern and Southern Connection Corridor (Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, 2005).

Average houses prices in the County Borough have risen steadily since 2003, with the average house price for the County Borough now having reached £133,000 (February 2008).  There are substantial differences in prices across the County Borough, with prices in the south of the County Borough significantly higher than in the north (Land Registry).

Despite seeing large declines; the manufacturing sector remains the largest employment sector in the County Borough.  The sector remains overrepresented in the County Borough when compared to Wales and Great Britain, so increasing the significance of these declines to the Caerphilly economy.  The sector however is in long-term decline in the UK and its significance to the Caerphilly economy in terms of employment is likely to gradually decrease over the coming years.  However the structure of the manufacturing sector in Caerphilly has been changing.  Those in decline have been the traditional/basic manufacturing activities, whilst more high-value activities have been growing, particularly small and medium size operations (Employment Site Supply and Market Appraisal Study, Atkins 2006).  It should be noted that a significant proportion of jobs are not located on industrial estates, for example the retail sector.

The Employment Site Supply and Market Appraisal Study undertaken in 2006 indicated that 123.71 ha of allocated employment land was vacant and readily available for employment development.  This has since been adjusted to 101.9 ha, due to changing circumstances.  90% of this land is located in the Northern Connections Corridor, the majority of which is on two sites; namely the Oakdale Plateaux (44.9 ha) and Ty Du, Nelson (18.8 ha).

Only 72.3% of working age residents (aged between 16 and 64 for men and 16-59 for women) in the County Borough are economically active, compared to 75.2% in Wales and 78.5% in Great Britain (Census 2001).

The proportion of the Caerphilly population with no qualifications is 39.8%.  This is far higher than that of England and Wales (29.1%) and Wales alone (33.0%).  Similarly the proportion of the Caerphilly work force qualified to degree level or equivalent (12.1%) is considerably lower than that of Wales (17.4%) and England and Wales (19.8%) (Census 2001).

31,400 Caerphilly residents commute outside of the County Borough to work, equal to 46.6% of the total workers in Caerphilly.  Overall, there is a net out-commuting of 15,300 workers to jobs outside of Caerphilly.

The largest commuting destination is Cardiff, which accounts for over 11,000 or 28.5% of out-commuters. Rhondda Cynon Taf is the largest source of in-commuting, with a total of 4,000 people working in Caerphilly.  This shows that whilst the most obvious commuting flows between Caerphilly and Cardiff are strong, there is also a high level of lateral commuting across the Valleys (Statistics on Commuting in Wales, 2002 – Based upon the 2002 Welsh Labour Force Survey).

Congestion problems combined with Government policies to limit car usage and car parking as well as the growing emphasis on the environment means that access to public transport will become an increasingly important element in the viability of employment sites.  Different modes of transport (private and public) as well as reliable transport links will therefore be key to the success of future employment sites.

73% of households in the County Borough have access to a motor vehicle compared to 76% of the Welsh Average (Welsh Transport Statistics 2006).

When travelling to work, 76% of residents travel by car, compared to 8% by public transport with the remainder travelling by foot or by bicycle.  6.5% of the population work at home, which is an increasing trend (Office of National Statistics).

Major retail investment in relation to improvements to comparison goods provision have been achieved by large-scale extensions to existing town centres, such as the Castle Court development in Caerphilly and the North Blackwood Retail Park.

Nearly 80% of the County Borough is countryside that forms an important visual and recreational resource for both residents and visitors.

Caerphilly has one European designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC) within the County Borough, namely Aberbargoed Grasslands.  This grassland area is of importance for the Molinea Meadows and Marsh Fritillary Butterfly.

The County Borough has 10 nationally important Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), 5 have been designated for their biological interest and 5 for their geological interest.  There are also 4 Local Nature Reserves (LNR) and 190 Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC).  Furthermore, 6 Special Landscape Areas (SLA) have been designated in order to protect those areas considered to be important to the overall landscape, history, culture, biodiversity and geology of the County Borough, along with 4 Visually Important Local Landscapes (VILLs), designated to protect the visual and sensory landscape of the County Borough.

The County Borough has 14 Conservation Areas and 356 Listed buildings.  There are 46 scheduled ancient monuments and 4 historic parks and gardens

For the period 2005/06, household refuse and other Council waste in Caerphilly County Borough stood at 121,395 tonnes.  There was an average annual growth in waste of 3.2% over the previous 7-year period compared with the South East Wales average of 2.3% (Regional Waste Plan Annual Monitoring Report 2007).

Within the County Borough there are resources of coal, sand and gravel and other minerals that need to be identified and safeguarded in the LDP.

In considering how the LDP should guide and manage future development in the County Borough, a clear vision of what the County Borough should look like in fifteen years time has been developed.

The Vision Statement for the LDP outlined below has been derived from the Community Strategy through a series of workshop sessions with key stakeholders as an integral part of the pre-deposit public participation exercise.  The key policy issues that reoccurred throughout each of the workshop sessions have shaped and informed the Vision Statement for the LDP.

Vision Statement:

“The Development Strategy for the Local Development Plan will capitalise on the strategic location of Caerphilly County Borough at the centre of the Capital Network Region.  It will ensure that the needs of all the County Borough’s residents and visitors are met and the regeneration of our towns, villages and employment centres and the surrounding countryside is delivered in a well-balanced and sustainable manner that reflects the specific role and function of individual settlements.”

There are a number of key concepts in this vision that guide the Plan’s aims and strategy:

• “The strategic location of Caerphilly County Borough” – exploiting the proximity of the County Borough to the major economic hubs of Cardiff and Newport is one of the central aims of the Council’s regeneration strategy while the mid valleys and the heads of the valleys corridors both pass through the County Borough offering opportunities further north.
• “Regeneration . . .delivered in a well-balanced and sustainable manner”  – the Plan seeks to balance environmental, economic and community interests and needs, to create a sustainable future for all of the County Borough’s residents.
• Reflecting “the specific role and function of individual settlements” - the Plan identifies a sustainable role for all the towns and villages in the County Borough and promotes appropriate development or restraint in each so that all parts of the County Borough will benefit.

The aims of the LDP are:

• To protect the environment as a whole whilst balancing the need for development with the need to conserve valuable resources.
• To ensure that new development minimises emissions of greenhouse gases as far as is practically possible in order to mitigate the effects of climate change.
• To underpin all development with the principle of good design, that meets a diversity of needs; which uses resources efficiently; and which makes adequate provision for recycling and waste management.
• To make Caerphilly County Borough a clean, green, safe and pleasant place to live and work with decent public services.
• To enhance the vibrancy and diversity of local communities, in order to ensure good health and social cohesion.
• To ensure equal opportunities for all to proposed and existing facilities and services within and outside the County Borough.
• To provide a modern, integrated and sustainable transport system that increases opportunity, promotes prosperity and protects the environment; where public transport, walking and cycling provide real travel alternatives.
• To increase the economic prosperity of the people and communities of the County Borough through the provision of land for employment opportunities, supported by appropriate housing and ancillary facilities and services (including community and health facilities, recreation, leisure etc).
• To contribute to improving public health, by promoting land use developments that contribute to healthy lifestyles and well being.
• To use resources efficiently making the best use of our assets.
• To improve education facilities to ‘up skill’ the population.
• To promote Caerphilly County Borough as an area in its own right.

The objectives of the Plan have been derived from land-use issues emanating from the four themes of the Community Strategy (Living Environment, Regeneration, Education for Life and Health, Social Care and Well-Being).

Each of the key objectives outlined below contribute to the achievement of one or more of the aims of the Plan and also serve to address the eight component parts that realise the Vision and the Development Strategy of the Plan.

1. Accommodate sustainable levels of population growth
2. Ensure that the County Borough is well served by accessible public open space and accessible natural green space.
3. Ensure the effective and efficient use of natural and built resources while preventing the unnecessary sterilisation of finite resources through inappropriate development.
4. Ensure that the environmental impact of all new development is minimised.
5. Improve energy, waste and water efficiency while promoting environmentally acceptable renewable energy to maintain a cleaner environment and help reduce our impact on climate change.
6. Encourage waste management based on a hierarchy of reduce, reuse, recovery (including material recycling, energy recovery and composting) and safe disposal.
7. Encourage the re-use and / or reclamation of appropriate brownfield and contaminated land and prevent the incidence of further contamination and dereliction
8. Concentrate new development in appropriate locations along existing and proposed infrastructure networks that are accessible to pedestrians, cyclists and to public transport in order to sustain and complement the role and function of individual settlements
9. Ensure an adequate and appropriate range of housing sites are available across the County Borough in the most suitable locations to meet the housing requirements of all sections of the population.
10. Ensure that all new development is well designed and has regard for its surroundings in order to reduce the opportunity for crime to occur.
11. Identify, protect and, where appropriate enhance, valuable landscapes and landscape features and protect them from unacceptable development.
12. Identify, protect and enhance sites of nature conservation and earth science interest and ensure the biodiversity of the County Borough is enhanced.
13. Create appropriate new landscape and ecological features and habitats as an integral part of new development wherever appropriate.
14. Manage, protect and enhance the quality and quantity of the water environment and reduce water consumption.
15. Reduce the impact of flooding by ensuring that highly vulnerable development is directed away from areas of risk wherever possible.
16. Reduce congestion by minimising the need to travel, promoting more sustainable modes of transport and making the most efficient use of existing transport infrastructure
17. Capitalise on Caerphilly’s strategic position further developing its role as a commercial and employment centre in the heart of the Valleys City Region with strong links to the Heads of the Valleys area and as the smart alternative for locating development to Cardiff and Newport.
18. Provide and protect a diverse portfolio of employment land for a variety of employment uses, focusing in particular on higher value employment opportunities and sites to meet local need, including waste management facilities.
19. Encourage the development of high quality, all season tourist attractions and tourist accommodation that complements the natural and built environment of the County Borough.
20. Maximise the efficient use of the existing infrastructure and encourage the necessary improvements to the network to sustain necessary levels of development at appropriate locations across the County Borough.
21. Protect and provide a wide range of community and health facilities which are appropriately located and easily accessible, and which meet the needs of all sections of the population.
22. Maintain the vitality, viability and character of the County Borough’s town and village centres and re-establish them as a focus for economic activity and community pride.
23. Maintain, enhance and develop a hierarchy of town and village centres which are easily accessible, and which meet the needs of all sections of the population.
24. Protect and enhance the overall quality of the historic natural and built environment of the County Borough.

Monitoring

Monitoring is a crucial part of the development plan process, providing the basis for the review of the Plan, and the preparation of modifications where necessary.  The essential outputs of monitoring are to identify matters that may affect the planning and development of the County Borough, and to record the progress of implementation of the Plan.  The results of this monitoring will form the basis for a review of the Plan,and the preparation of modifications where necessary.  The current intention is that the LDP will be subject to review on a four-year cycle.

The Council will therefore establish a framework to monitor progress on the implementation of the policies and proposals in the LDP.  This will aim to identify the key challenges, opportunities and possible ways forward for revising and adjusting the LDP policies.  Existing information will be used as far as possible for this purpose, but it is recognised that for some purposes it may be necessary to set up special procedures to capture the required monitoring information.

WAG Planning Guidance requires authorities to prepare an annual Monitoring Report that identifies the main issues arising from the monitoring exercise: the report will also incorporate the results of the SEA/SA monitoring.  These reports will be prepared for the financial year, and will be published within six months of the end of the year.

In order to monitor the Plan, key performance indicators will be identified and monitored to measure its overall effectiveness.  The following sets of indicators have been identified in planning guidance and during plan preparation:

1. national core indicators;
2. SEA/SA indicators; and
3. strategic policy indicators

LDP Wales identifies national core output indicators, the first two of which are specified in the Regulations, as shown in Appendix 17.

The SEA/SA Scoping Report identifies the indicators and targets that will be used to monitor progress on sustainability issues, and for convenience these are shown in Appendix 18.

In order to monitor the policies in the LDP, targets and indicators have been identified to assess whether the Strategic Policies are achieving their stated objectives: these targets and indicators are identified at Appendix 19.

The progress on these targets and indicators will be reported in the Annual Monitoring Report (AMR), although in view of the large numbers of indicators only those most critical for assessing progress on the Plan will be included.  The indicators will be refined and extended as the Monitoring Framework is developed: for example, efforts will be made to develop indicators for the Countywide policies, although there are well known problems in doing this with, for example, protection policies.

Progress on the site allocation policies contained in Section 3 of the LDP will be reported in the Implementation Section of the AMR.

In general, it is expected that the retail and housing allocations will be delivered by the private sector, including housing associations (Registered Social Landlords, or RSLs).  The private sector is also expected to make a contribution towards much of the public infrastructure, including transport improvements and leisure, educational, and community facilities.

It must be appreciated that the ability of the private sector to deliver the above will be heavily influenced by external economic circumstances, including the UK and World economic cycles.  For this reason it is highly likely that delivery of housing completions in particular will vary considerably over the 15 year period of the Plan

Public sector budgets will be more constant, but will also vary over time.  In particular, most public sector capital programmes have relatively short time horizons, i.e. three or five years, so it is impossible to be precise about the implementation of much of the infrastructure over a 15-year time period.  Beyond the first five years, facilities have therefore been scheduled to the “2^nd Phase” or “3^rd Phase” of the Plan Period, meaning the years 2011-2015 and 2016-2021 respectively.

More detail on delivery and implementation is provided in Appendix 20 to this Plan.