Cyngor Bro Morgannwg
Vale of Glamorgan Council

Where discussing the best and most versatile agrciultural land at wenvoe and culverhouse cross reference should be made to the opportunity for food growing initiatives (large and small) in this location. Such proposals will be encouraged.

We ask that the Vale of Glamorgan Council consider protecting existing and potential food growing sites and that there is significant weight attached to protecting the best agricultural land for food growing.

High grade agricultural land must be protected for sustainable agriculture without exception. Paragraph 6.15 of the LDP states that the Spatial Options paper identifies that development opportunities in both Culverhouse Cross and Wenvoe are significantly limited by the presence of Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land on the edge of both settlements. The growth of towns and cities needs to be set against the need for land to enable Wales to feed itself and become much more resilient to changes. Local Development Plans across Wales must provide policies with this focus and safeguard land for food growing in and around towns and cities. Please see Evidence Pack report on how Wales can feed itself in 2035 here. The Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land on the edge of Culverhouse Cross and Wenvoe is not a limiting factor for new development it is an opportunity to safeguard land in these locations for food growing. Raising the profile of BMV agricultural land is needed across Wales due to the lack of national guidance when compared to other issues like flooding and housing supply. Our experience is that other local planning authorities in Wales have allowed housing development on BMV agricultural land so further fortification of this core policy is warranted. In responding to the Caerphilly Review of their LDP, Welsh Government most certainly agrees with this approach .
We would also ask that The Council consider including positive policy wording that allows for the potential of SPG on food growing so that food growing enterprises and projects across the area can flourish without being unjustifiably unhindered. Justified development in association with such projects and enterprise should be encouraged because they benefit from minimal permitted development rights and their is still outdated scepticism of their genuine nature. Growers operating on small profit margins, in the early days of their inception find the planning system a barrier to success. Reference to the different types of food growing initiatives should also be included. Narrowly thinking about allotments falls short of the mark and we need to raise the profile of the different types and scales of community food growing that are possible. Referring stakeholders to Social Farms & Gardens for support is advised.

Greenfield land around Culverhouse Cross and Wenvoe should be safeguarded for agriculture and proposals for horticultural initiatives/enterprises, and their essential structures (and potential rural enterprise dwellings) should be explicitly encouraged in this area of the Vale of Glamorgan. The Vale and Cardiff areas are poorly served by horticulture production when compared to other parts of Wales and the catchment opportunities for routes to market are largely untapped yet significant.

Review of the Weight That Is Given to Best Most Versatile (BMV) Land by Local Authorities and National Policy
Regulation 15 second review: Welsh Government response to Caerphilly County Council [HTML] | GOV.WALES
Allotments and community gardens | Sub-topic | GOV.WALES