Cyngor Bro Morgannwg
Vale of Glamorgan Council

A standalone Open Space Strategy is therefore not necessary and Policy CI1 should be amended to reflect this. This amendment is necessary to ensure that Policy CI1 meets the second test of soundness (Is the Plan appropriate?).

Policy CI1 sets out that “all new residential development with a net gain of 10 or more dwellings will be required to provide well-designed, accessible useable open space provision in accordance with the following benchmark open space minimum standards per 1000 population:

• 0.55 Ha of play space (12.4m2 per dwelling)
• 2.2 Ha of additional open space including community growing spaces, outdoor sports and informal open space provision (49.8m2 per dwelling)”.

The proposed 62.2 m² per dwelling requirement is overly prescriptive and not aligned with Field in Trust’s (FiT’s) methodology, which is per person and intended to be applied strategically across different open space typologies, not as a uniform per dwelling metric. FiT’s approach emphasises flexibility, multifunctionality and local context, meaning that applying a rigid per dwelling standard oversimplifies the guidance and risks generating disproportionate land take and unnecessary design constraints. When combined with the wider cumulative policy burdens of the RLDP, such an approach has the potential to impact development viability and reduce delivery.

Policy CI1 also requires an ‘Open Space Strategy’ to be submitted for all housing developments that meet the relevant thresholds. In many instances, it is appropriate for the provision of open space within a scheme to be addressed through a Design and Access Statement and / or Green Infrastructure Statement. This ensures that open space provision is considered as part of the comprehensive approach to design, landscape and biodiversity.