Testun llawn:
The Service Centre Settlement of Cowbridge comprises a sustainable self-contained settlement with regards to access to services such as primary and secondary schools, shops including supermarkets, medical services at the GP surgery and pharmacy, sports activities including a leisure centre, a library and places of worship. Cowbridge has excellent connections to the A48 with regular bus services providing access to Cardiff, Porthcawl and Llantwit Major.
The Service Centre Settlements are the middle-tier in Policy SP2 and as well as Cowbridge, include Llantwit Major and Penarth. The Key Settlement of Barry being the top-tier and the Primary Settlements of Rhoose, St Athan, Sully, Llandough (Penarth) and Dinas Powys being categorised as the lower-tier, below Cowbridge.
Policy HG1 sets out the housing allocations to meet the identified housing requirement set out in Policy SP6. HG1 allocates sites for a total of 3,398 dwellings across Key Sites and Housing Allocations. Of the 3,398 units:
• Key Settlement (tier 1) = 686 (20.2%)
• Service Centres (tier 2) = 340 (10%)
• Primary Settlements (tier 3) = 2,372 (69.8%)
It is clear that the allocations in Policy HG1 do not reflect the proposed settlement hierarchy with an under representation of allocations in the second tier Service Centre Settlements. There are only two allocations in Service Centre Settlements: HG1(5) at Llantwit Major for 235 units and HG1(6) at Cowbridge for 105 units.
A review by settlement further highlights the under provision of allocations and major land bank sites at Cowbridge compared to other higher order settlements:
Tier 1 Barry – 686
Tier 2 Cowbridge – 105
Llantwit Major – 475
Penarth – 576
Tier 3 Rhoose – 859
St Athan – 1,263
Sully – 175
Llandough – 133
Dinas Powys – 250
It is evident that there are fewer allocations made to Cowbridge than any other higher order settlement and significantly less than many of the tier 3 settlements. A review of the Housing Land Supply document BP9A highlights that there is only planning permission for 203 dwellings in Cowbridge that were not started as of April 2025. The case cannot be made that there is an existing unimplemented land bank to meet the needs of this settlement.
Furthermore, Paragraph 3.5 of the Local Housing Market Assessment (2023) sets out that “The 2021 LHMA indicated that the existing backlog of need is most acute from people on the housing waiting list within Barry, Penarth/Llandough, Llantwit Major, Cowbridge, Dinas Powys, Rhoose, Wenvoe and St Athan although there are a significant number of people on the waiting list across all areas of the Vale.”
Having only one allocation, and no major land bank sites at Cowbridge does not reflect the importance of Cowbridge as a Service Centre Settlement. The failure to make significant new allocations in this Tier 2 settlement undermines the ability of this important settlement to meet its housing needs including affordable needs.
Policy HG1 apportions only 105 dwellings (or only 1.3% of the housing requirement as set out in Policy SP1) to one of only three second tier settlements. Thus, the number of units allocated to Cowbridge does not align with the Settlement Hierarchy presented in Policy SP2. As explained in our representations to Policy SP1 and SP6 above, a more ambitious housing requirement is needed in the VoG.
It is therefore evident that in order for the RLDP to meet the third test of soundness (Will the Plan deliver?), Cowbridge needs additional housing allocations to ensure that housing is delivered at a scale commensurate to the settlement hierarchy in Policy SP2 and to achieve the RLDP Growth Strategy which commits to housing growth that accords with the Vale’s position within the Cardiff Capital Region.
Land at Primrose Hill (with a capacity of up to 220 dwellings) is available, with limited physical and environmental constraints, to assist with the much-needed increased delivery of housing at Cowbridge during this RLDP period.
