Cyngor Bro Morgannwg
Vale of Glamorgan Council

include text that improves biodiversity, natural spaces and green areas with the potential for food growing on new development sites. We have strong evidence that new sites are not providing as they should and local authorities have a duty to ensure they do.

There needs to be more recognition that Food growing enterprises and projects have multi faceted benefits including contributing to local authority Section 6 duty under the Environment Wales Act (net biodiversity gain) and contributing to the areas Wellbeing goals, Contribution to net zero by 2035 .
“The Vale of Glamorgan Biodiversity Forward Plan (BFP) sets out how the Vale of Glamorgan Council shall meet its obligations under section 6 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 to demonstrate how the Local Authority will “seek to maintain and enhance biodiversity in the proper exercise of their functions and in doing so promote the resilience of ecosystems”.”
Social Farms & Gardens and Keep Wales Tidy are meeting regularly with a Welsh Government forum, to work on the challenge of the poor delivery of spaces for biodiversity on new school sites and in new housing developments. When visiting new school sites to deliver ‘Local Places for Nature’ packages, we find that many of them are devoid of spaces for nature. The Council’s duty under section 6 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, is to make sure biodiversity and sustainability are core themes of delivery. Policies in the LDP should look to improve the delivery and management of new development to ensure spaces for nature are delivered to the high standard that is needed.
The Vale’s commitment to sign the Place Making Charter means it agrees to promote people and communities in the planning, design and management of new and existing places. The Vale’s significant affordable housing need and investment in new schools across the plan area, is an opportunity to achieve this. The LDP should make reference to the requirement for high quality natural spaces to serve biodiversity and peoples’ health and wellbeing on new development sites that are to be used to house and school our communities, especially in areas that are have low levels of nature, health and other inequalities. The effectiveness of delivery and management of these spaces should be monitored for compliance.

We also ask for the RLDP to provide wording within this or another policy or to provide guidance that encourages communities to think about including food growing sites in their Place Plans. Where will their food come from if the supermarkets do not have any available to them due to various world events and climate change?