We therefore request that Land at Primrose Hill (Candidate Site ID: 455) is allocated for housing development. The site is located in one of the most sustainable settlements in the settlement hierarchy, Cowbridge, which is also at the top of the retail, commercial and service centre hierarchy in Policy SP11. Cowbridge has a serious lack of allocated land for housing development and major land bank sites in the RLDP as drafted.

In order for Cowbridge to match its status in the hierarchies of Policy SP2 and SP11, the RLDP needs to include Land at Primrose Hill for allocation would deliver up to 220 homes during the RLDP period. Land at Primrose Hill is within easy reach of the town centre and in close proximity to excellent commercial, educational, community and recreational facilities and services. The site is well positioned to be accessed via the local highway network, which links to both Cardiff, Penarth and Bridgend via regular bus services from bus stops adjacent to the site.

The inclusion of Cowbridge as Service Centre Settlement within the Strategic Growth Area Settlement Hierarchy in Policy SP2 is endorsed. 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 SP2 states that Service Centre Settlements “are important settlements that offer a range of services and facilities. Serving the needs of their residents, they also act as important hubs for those living in nearby smaller settlements. Future growth will support this role where the level of development will meet the local needs of the area.”

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.

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 These representations build upon the responses previously provided to the Call for Sites Consultation, additional information submission, and more recently the Barry Growth Paper in July 2025. For the avoidance of doubt these representations relate to Barratt Redrow Homes’ land interest know as ‘Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe’. The site has previously been identified as Ref No 437 within the Council’s Candidate Site Assessments including the Preferred Strategy Stage, which has been published as part of the technical evidence base and background papers alongside the Deposit Plan.
1.2 Having reviewed the Deposit Plan it is evident that the document is structured around a number of key sections including:
• Section 3 – The Vale of Glamorgan Key Characteristics;
• Section 4 – RLDP Key Themes, Vision, and Objectives;
• Section 5 – Sustainable Growth Strategy; and
• Section 6 – Policy Framework.

1.3 For completeness this submission shall discuss each section in turn.
1.4 The overarching purpose of which shall be to respond to the relevant draft Replacement Local Development Plan policies, with particular consideration given to the Welsh Government’s tests of soundness as set out within the Development Plan Manual for Wales (Third Edition) March 2020)):
• Test 1 – Does the Plan Fit?
• Test 2 – Is the Plan Appropriate?
• Test 3 – Will the Plan Deliver?

2. THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN KEY CHARACTERISTICS
Settlement Pattern
2.1 Barratt Redrow support, in principle, the Settlement Pattern as set out in Section 3 of the Deposit Plan and in particular the identification of Wenvoe as a Primary Settlement.
2.2 Paragraph 3.9 explains that primary settlements “offer several key services and facilities, which are vital to their role as sustainable communities, as they reduce the need to travel to Barry or the Service Centre Settlements to address day-to-day needs”.
2.3 The importance of the Primary Settlements in supporting the Service Centre Settlements is noted, however Barratt Redrow consider that Wenvoe, in particular, is capable of a higher role and function and can accommodate a higher level of growth over and above affordable led exception sites, which can be accommodated at Candidate Site Ref. No 437. This is particularly relevant given the fact that the Service Centres at Cowbridge, Llantwit Major and Penarth are generally more constrained physically and environmentally.
Housing Need
2.4 In light of the Vale of Glamorgan’s strategic location in-between Cardiff and Bridgend, and the significant employment opportunities associated with these areas, the Deposit RLDP should seek to maximise housing provision to ensure a more sustainable balance is achieved between homes and jobs, and in turn reduce commuting distances/ carbon emissions.
2.5 Paragraph 3.18 clearly acknowledges the scale of affordable housing need, identifying a requirement for 1,075 affordable homes per annum between 2023–2028 and 154 per annum thereafter. Yet it remains unclear whether existing unmet need has been fully factored into the overall housing requirement presented within the Deposit RLDP. This is particularly importance in the context of the Welsh Government’s 2025-based estimates which identify 9,400 units of unmet need at a national level and a requirement for 8,700 additional homes per annum over the next five years simply to address newly arising need.
2.6 Accordingly, there is a compelling justification for a further uplift in housing numbers to ensure the Plan proactively addresses both existing and emerging need. Increasing the overall housing requirement would directly enhance the overall delivery rate for affordable homes which is crucial in a local authority area with the highest affordability ratio in Wales. Paragraph 3.17 confirms that in the Vale average house prices are 9.7 times average workplace earnings compared to the Wales average of 6.1, therefore a step change in housing targets is needed to support a more balanced housing market across the region.
3. RLDP KEY THEMES, VISION, AND OBJECTIVES
3.1 Section 4 of the Deposit RLDP sets out the Council’s vision over the emerging plan period. The vision establishes a series of strategic goals the Council intends to work towards and in doing so provides an insight into how the Vale of Glamorgan is envisioned to develop up to 2036.
Key Themes
3.2 Barratt Redrow supports the theme ‘Homes for all’ and the need for the housing supply to respond to the growing population and provided in appropriate locations, with a mix of tenure and types. In that respect the site at Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe offers a sustainable and deliverable opportunity to ensure future residential development aligns with such objectives to deliver high quality housing development in a sustainable location.
3.3 In principle, Barratt Redrow support the ‘Placemaking’ theme and consider that development in Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe would ensure a strong sense of identity and that the scheme is capable of providing a well designed and sustainable development.
3.4 Barratt Redrow also support the theme of ‘Promoting active travel and sustainable transport choices’, and in particular the need to ensure that the new development will be in a highly sustainable location with very good access to alternative transport, such as bus services, rather than a reliance on the rail network. This is clearly evident at Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe.
Vision
3.5 In general, Barratt Redrow support the RLDP Vision, however highlight that whilst Barry and other Sustainable Service Centres are identified as playing a vital role in delivering the strategy, the importance of the ability for Primary Settlements, such as Wenvoe, to deliver sustainable and high-quality residential development also needs to be suitably recognised.
3.6 The allocation of Swn Y Coed (Candidate Site Ref: 437) is capable of providing a comprehensive residential development in a highly sustainable location and within an important Primary Settlement. The principle of which aligns with the Council’s ambition to ensure future growth delivers homes which caters for all (including affordable homes) and are prioritised in areas of greatest demand.
3.7 In light of the above it is considered that Wenvoe plays a significant part in delivering the Council’s strategy and the role, function, and ability of this settlement to accommodate growth needs to be significantly reinforced. The settlement is capable of accommodating more growth in a highly sustainable location we believe warrants greater recognition within the vision itself.
Strategic Objectives
Objective 3 – Home for All

3.8 Barratt Redrow supports the principle of Objective 3, in particular the provision of high quality housing which includes the right mix, tenure and type. Barratt Redrow supports the notion of providing residential development in places which people want to live, and in particular Wenvoe as a Primary Settlement.
Objective 4 – Placemaking
3.9 As above, in principle Barratt Redrow support the Council’s placemaking objectives which seeks to ensure all development will contribute positively toward creating a sense of place. Most notably this involves prioritising future growth in sustainable locations which are placed to create attractive, safe and accessible schemes that are equally effective from a functional standpoint.
3.10 The proposed allocation at Swn Y Coed (Ref 437) at Wenvoe aligns with such principles whilst also providing an opportunity to facilitate a high quality, mixed tenure residential development of circa 80+ open market & affordable homes, with a high-quality distinct character responding to the site context and creating a sense of place.
Objective 8 – Promoting Active and Sustainable Travel Choices
3.11 Barratt Redrow supports the principle of promoting active and sustainable travel choices and highlight that their residential development at Wenvoe has been designed to ensure accessibility it’s at the heart of the scheme with regards to walking, cycling and connectivity to public transport.
3.12 Given the site abuts the defined urban area of Wenvoe it represents a logical extension to the existing settlement and is well served by a range of local amenities and public transport. In terms of the latter the nearest bus stop is located within 100 meters of the site whilst the majority of local amenities are situated within 1.2 kilometres walking distance. Together these factors naturally promote the principle of linked trips which fully accords with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportations (CIHT) guidelines and reinforces the fact the site is a sustainable location for residential development.
3.13 Therefore, the site provides an opportunity to promote a modal shift towards more active forms of travel and consequently reducing dependency on private vehicle and associated carbon emissions. From a plan-making standpoint allocating further growth in this highly sustainable location would help achieve greater connect at both a regional and local level.

4. SUSTAINABLE GROWTH STRATEGY
Growth Strategy
4.1 RLDP Sustainable Growth Strategy comprises six key elements as follows:
1. Delivering a sustainable level of housing and employment growth supported by appropriate infrastructure that accords with the Vale’s position within the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR).
4.2 In order to meet the overarching Vision, the Vale have identified a need to deliver at least 8,679 new dwellings over the proposed plan period which responds to the identified housing requirement of 7,890 homes (526 per annum) and incorporates a 10% flexible allowance. Barratt Redrow acknowledge the proposed approach, however, maintain it should be considered a minimum figure with aspirations to achieve greater levels of growth in sustainable locations across the district.
4.3 Whilst Barratt Redrow appreciate these figures are based on average completion rates over the first ten years of the adopted Local Development Plan, it is important to recognise that a higher rate of housing delivery is demonstrably achievable. Annual completion rates peaked at 917 dwellings, with six of the ten monitoring years exceeding the 526 per annum figure currently relied upon. This demonstrates that delivery capacity within the Vale has historically operated well above the proposed requirement and should therefore provide confidence that a higher housing target could realistically be achieved over the emerging plan period.
4.4 Furthermore, the Council’s own evidence base (BP7 - Housing and Employment Growth Options) identifies a five-year average build rate of 780 units per annum between 2016 and 2021. Again, this figure exceeds the annual delivery rate currently proposed within the emerging RLDP and reinforces the fact that the proposed housing requirement should not be unduly constrained by a lower long-term average.
4.5 Whilst Paragraph 5.8 explains that the proposed figures are based on a ten-year average delivery rate, it fails to acknowledge that this period included the Covid-19 pandemic and at a time where construction costs experienced significant inflation. These factors had a material impact on the housebuilding industry nationally and inevitably suppressed delivery rates during those years. From an objective perspective, basing the future housing requirement on an average that includes these exceptional circumstances risks skewing the figures and underestimates the district’s true delivery potential for the Vale.
4.6 In light of the above Barratt Redrow believe a sensible response would be to incorporate a greater flexible allowance of 15% within the RLDP to demonstrate an appropriate level of growth will be achieved. Whilst also ensuring there is sufficient supply of sites to come forward early on during the plan period to proactively address housing need from the point of adoption up to 2036.
4.7 From a procedural standpoint it is also important to note that the currently adopted plan predates the publication of Future Wales: The National Plan 2040 and the Vale’s position within a national growth area. As such, pursuing an approach which seeks to maintain historic delivery rates is not considered to reflect this enhanced role and arguably lacks the level ambition set out at a national level. The proposed housing requirement should therefore be uplifted to positively respond to such matters in order to ensure conformity with Future Wales and regional aspirations.
4.8 Increasing the overall housing target would also act as a catalyst to enhance the delivery of affordable housing which is identified as a key objective for the RLDP. Each proposed site allocation is subject to a policy-compliant percentage contribution, therefore a higher level of market housing would proportionately generate a greater number of affordable homes to meet local need across the region.
2. Aligning locations for new housing, employment, services and facilities to reduce the need to travel.
4.9 Barratt Redrow supports the Vale’s objective to locate new major development in areas of the region best served by existing infrastructure and supporting services. The Settlement Appraisal Review (BP5) identifies Wenvoe as primary settlement in the region with suitable local services to accommodate future growth which remains in keeping with the overall function of the existing settlement.
4.10 Whilst the settlements of Barry, Penarth, Llantwit Major and Cowbridge are deemed to score higher on certain criteria it is clear that Wenvoe has a role and function providing both local key facilities and also acceptable linkages and distance to wider key and daily facilities.
3. Focusing development at locations that are well served by existing and proposed rail stations as part of the South Wales Metro and in areas with good bus links.
4.11 The Deposit RLDP explains that whilst reducing the need to travel is a key policy objective, it is recognised that there are journeys that will need to be made by other modes of transport, particularly due to the strong relationship with Cardiff as a designation for employment, retail and entertainment. As such the proposed growth strategy seeks to locate development in places that are inherently well served by sustainable transport in line with the Vale of Glamorgan’s transport hierarchy.
4.12 Barratt Redrow supports these principles and recognises the importance of prioritising development in sustainable locations across the regions, particular those well connected to Cardiff city centre. Paragraph 5.18 of the Deposit Plan states that “Targeting new development to the settlements that are served by the rail network is a key part of the strategy, as it will facilitate journeys being made by means other than the car”. Barratt Redrow consider that the rail network is an important way to facilitate journeys other than by car, however it is not the only option available and that other sustainable sites, such as Swn Y Coed, are also accessible by public transport – namely bus services.
4.13 Whilst Barratt Redrow support the principle of prioritising growth within the Council’s sustainable transport corridor, it is important to recognise that there is not an infinite supply of land within close proximity to railway stations across the Vale of Glamorgan. Physical constraints, settlement patterns and environmental designations mean that the availability of suitable and deliverable sites within immediate walking distance of rail infrastructure is somewhat limited. Therefore, relying solely on these locations risks unnecessarily constraining the overall supply of land for housing and may limit the Council’s ability to maintain a consistent supply of homes up to 2036.
4.14 In this context, Barratt Redrow believe the RLDP should be updated to also identify opportunities for growth in locations that are well served by the strategic bus network. From a procedural standpoint this approach would remain consistent with the overarching objective of a transport-orientated growth strategy, whilst recognising the wider role bus corridors can play in facilitating a sustainable pattern of development. The benefits of which would provide greater certainty that local housing needs can be met over the proposed plan period and in turn strengthen the council’s ability to demonstrate the plan has been soundly prepared.
4.15 By directing development to locations well served by existing bus infrastructure, the proposal would help reduce the need for commuting via private vehicles, particularly for journeys to key employment and service destinations. In doing so, it would make a positive contribution towards the Council’s climate change targets through the reduction of carbon emissions and promoting a modal shift within the local community.
4.16 In relation to Swn Y Coed, bus stops are conveniently located at Walston Castle and Station Road approximately 95m and 440m from the site off the A4050, providing regular services to Cardiff City and surrounding settlements.
4.17 Furthermore, to the north of the site Culverhouse Cross is easily accessed by cycling, walking or via bus routes which can be caught just 100m east of the site. Culverhouse Cross Retail Park has an extensive range of facilities and employment opportunities that are within 2km of the site (easy walking and cycling distance).
4.18 Overall, it is considered that the site is in a relatively sustainable location and is within easy walking distance of public transport and Wenvoe village centre, which provides some basic facilities approximately 600m south of the site. For the reasons set out above, the site is considered to offer an opportunity for residential development in a suitable location that would facilitate and encourage sustainable travel, with no major highway related concerns.
4.19 Focussing further growth in well-connected, sustainable locations such Wenvoe will therefore support the Council’s transport-led placemaking approach. These principles fully align with the Welsh Governments strategic objectives as set out within the Future Wales – the National Plan 2040, Planning Policy Wales Edition 12 and Llwybr Newydd: The Wales Transport Strategy, which in turn shall contribute towards achieving a more sustainable pattern of development within the RLDP.

5. POLICY FRAMEWORK
5.1 Section 6 of the Deposit Plan outlines the policy framework for delivering the plan, including both Strategic and Development Management Policies following revisions pursuant to the Preferred Strategy consultation.
5.2 The Deposit Plan has arranged these policies into the four themes of Planning Policy Wales as follows:
• Strategic and Spatial Choices
• Active and Social Places
• Productive and Enterprising Places
• Distinctive and Natural Places
5.3 Whilst some of the technical details overlap, each of the policies considered to be of relevance are discussed in further detail below.
Policy SP1 – Sustainable Growth Strategy (& Policy SP6 – Housing Requirements)

5.4 This policy states that in order to deliver the Sustainable Growth Strategy for the Vale, the emerging RLDP will make provision for 7,890 dwellings and 5,338 jobs over the plan period. In order to achieve the former Policy SP6 explains that to meet the identified housing requirement of 7,890 dwellings, provision will be made for the delivery of 8,660 homes in the Plan Period 2021 to 2036 which incorporates a 10% flexible allowance. In turn this will be distributed as follows: i) 3,837 dwellings from the existing land supply; ii) 3,520 dwellings on allocated sites; & iii) 1,303 dwellings from large and small windfall developments.
5.5 Barratt Redrow acknowledge the Council’s conclusion that in principle the ‘Medium’ growth option reflected in Policy SP1 generally accords with the Welsh Government’s aspirations for the Vale of Glamorgan within the Future Wales national growth area, which is identified as a focus for strategic economic and housing growth. Given the Vale forms part of the Cardiff Capital Region, it is equally important that the overall level of growth remains suitably ambitious to support the region’s economic aspirations and continues to complement Cardiff which remains the nearest neighbouring authority.
5.6 Although we understand the proposed approach uses the Dwelling-led 10 Year scenario, which is based on the average annual build rate for the first 10 years of the adopted plan and equates to a total of 7,890 new homes or 526 dwellings per annum over the emerging plan period. The overarching intention is to ensure the projected level of growth is deliverable whilst recognising the fact there is sufficient capacity within the Vale to support further growth towards the higher end of the ‘medium’ range.
5.7 As noted, Barratt Redrow are wholly in support of providing additional sites, such as Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe, which would provide a logical extension to the defined urban area of Wenvoe and which will facilitate the delivery of much needed full market and affordable housing to help address the significant level of demand identified across the Vale.
5.8 Swn Y Coed is promoted in the context of the concerns raised regarding the current figure of 8,660 new dwellings which is underpinned by a 10% flexible allowance in relation to housing delivery. Barratt Redrow consider it relevant to take account of recent evidence provided to other Local Planning Authorities in Wales which have either adopted or are in the latter stages of bringing forward a new Local Development Plan.
5.9 For example, in Bridgend the Council recently adopted their new Local Development Plan (covering the period 2018 to 2033) which is underpinned by a flexibility allowance of 14% equating to an additional 1,053 dwellings. This level of provision was required in order to demonstrate the Anticipated Annual Build Rate (AABR) were deliverable and ensure that the Plan remains effective in the event of changing circumstances. During the examination process the Inspector explained that an increase beyond the standard 10% was fundamental to enable the plan and its housing trajectory to be resilient and sufficiently adaptable. The overarching purpose of which is to account for any unforeseen changes and potential shortfalls/ delays to the strategic site allocations whilst still enabling the overall housing requirement to be delivered.
5.10 For Swansea, the Council published their LDP2 Pre-Deposit Plan (Preferred Strategy) for consultation last year. In terms of housing delivery this incorporates a 20% flexible allowance above the proposed housing requirement and is predicated on the basis of needing to account for certain sites not coming forward as anticipated and other unforeseen factors affecting delivery. Similar to the Vale, Swansea City Council’s latest Annual Monitoring Report (6th Edition) (October 2025) confirms that since adoption of the current LDP in February 2019 they have not met their annual housing target for any of the past six years. To date this has resulted in a shortfall of approximately 3,767 homes which is predominantly attributed to delays associated with larger strategic allocations. Therefore, in order to avoid having similar implications next time around the Council have uplifted the proposed flexible allowance within LDP2 and intend to incorporate a more diverse portfolio of sites going forward. The main purpose of which is to build in an additional margin of flexibility above the standard 10% threshold and therefore enable other sites to come forward to account for potential slippage elsewhere to ensure the plan is effective in meeting local need.
5.11 More recently in Monmouthshire, the Council submitted their proposed RLDP to PEDW in November 2025. As part of which they have identified a requirement of 6,210 homes which incorporates a 15% flexible allowance. Similar to above an increase beyond the standard 10% threshold has been justified to account for potential shortfalls/ delays due to longer lead in times needed for strategic site allocations whilst proactively addressing any historic unmet need.
5.12 Whilst Barratt Redrow appreciate that the Council intends to prioritise growth towards the higher end of the ‘medium’ range, having reviewed the Deposit Plan evidence base Barratt Redrow believe a minimum allowance of 15% would be more reflective of the Vale’s strategic position and would seek an additional 395 dwellings to the medium growth option equating to a total of 9,074 homes. The benefits of which are evident above and justification well-established from a plan-making perspective to ensure the RLDP is underpinned by a robust evidence base which incorporates a suitable level of flexibility to effectively meet local housing need from the outset.
5.13 In addition to the above the importance of increasing the RLDP’s housing target, by virtue of uplifting the proposed flexible allowance, has recently been highlighted by the findings of data published by the Welsh Government (WG). Most notably that includes the 2022-based Local authority household projections (Dated 20th November 2025) and 2025-based estimates of additional housing need (Dated 12th February 2026).
5.14 Upon publishing the former superseded the previous 2018-based demographic projections and provides updated figures from mid-2022 to mid-2032. The results show that whilst the overall number of households in Wales is projected to increase by around 98,500/ 7.2%, to a total of 1.46 million. The local authorities projected to see the largest percentage increases are the Vale of Glamorgan (up 11.7%) and Cardiff (up 11.1%).
5.15 In turn these trends are carried through into WG’s 2025-based estimates of additional housing need, which identifies an existing unmet need of 9,400 homes. This is supplemented by a requirement to deliver an average of 8,700 new homes annually over the next five years to account for newly arising need alone. The combination of which demonstrates that there is an urgent need to increase delivery rates on both a national and local level, and therefore it’s imperative that the latest position with regards to the need for affordable and full market homes are accurately reflected within the Council’s housing figures.
5.16 In terms of considering the level of housing provision for a plan, Paragraph 5.34 of the DPM is explicit in that the most up-to date suite of Welsh Government Population and Household Projections must form the foundation of any evidence base. LPAs are then required to use a household conversion factor when translating households to dwellings to establish overall need. Once again, the DPM explains that failure to include a robust conversion rate from the outset is a high-risk strategy and may undermine the overall soundness of any emerging plan. To avoid such circumstances, we believe it’s essential the LMNA is updated to reflect the latest WG datasets, which in turn is likely to provide grounds to warrant extending the proposed 15% threshold further. Ultimately this approach intends to ensure the emerging RLDP more effectively meet local need over the entire plan period and thus soundly prepared.
5.17 As mentioned above, Policy SP6 provides a high-level breakdown of how the Council’s housing growth is expected to be delivered over the plan period. For completeness this includes: i) 3,837 dwellings from the existing land supply; ii) 3,520 dwellings on allocated sites; & iii) 1,303 dwellings from large and small windfall developments.
5.18 Whilst we do not dispute those relating to proposed site allocations and/ or windfall developments. The proportion of dwellings set to be accounted for within the Vale of Glamorgan’s existing landbank (3,837 units) is considered excessive given it represents 44.3% of the Council’s overall housing requirement.
5.19 Although Barratt Redrow acknowledge that this is partly derived on the basis that emerging plan period has technically already commenced (2021 to 2036) and therefore is made up of


Figure 2. Extract of the Welsh Government’s Calculation Method for Total Dwellings as per the Development Plan Manual Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


sites at various different stages of planning process (i.e. either already built out, being constructed or secured consent - as shown below). It is important to recognise the potential implications this approach has in terms of stifling opportunities for growth, which is contrary to the Welsh Government’s aspirations for the Vale of Glamorgan as part of a National Growth Area within Future Wales: The National Plan 2040.
5.20 From an objective standpoint this means there is only a need for 2,561 additional dwellings (3,520 dwellings minus 959 units rolled forward) to be delivered from new allocations over the emerging plan period. This reinforces the point that in reality the overall quantum of new homes will be significantly lower than the figure set out within the RLDP’s vision and strategic objectives. In turn this prevent opportunities for new sites to come forward as part of the plan-making process and in doing so hinder the Council’s ability to account for historic unmet need. Collectively this substantiates Barratt Redrow’s position that in order for the plan to be considered sound the Council must accommodate a greater flexible allowance, optimising sites such as Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe, to ensure the emerging local plan complies with the Welsh Government’s aspirations set out within Future Wales.
5.21 As illustrated above, the Council anticipate 1,303 dwellings coming forward in the form of windfall sites. This accounts for both small and large sites which in turn represents around 15% of the Council’s overall housing requirement. Once again, whilst we do not contest the overall windfall provision or the projected delivery rate of 87 dwellings per annum up to 2036. It is important to recognise that based on past trends the annual number of homes which comes forward on windfall sites varies significantly year on year.
5.22 Table 18 of the Development Plan Manual is explicit in that respect and explains that although due regard must be attributed to analysis of past delivery rates, periods of abnormally high or low completions should be considered inappropriate/anomalies when extrapolating future rates of windfall sites. On that basis ensuring the RLDP incorporates a greater flexible allowance will not only provide certainty that any shortfalls/fallow periods are offset but also enable a more consistent supply of homes to be achieved over the plan period as a whole.
5.23 Lastly, in terms of overall growth Paragraph 5.8 of the Deposit Plan states that the level of growth they have identified ‘’has been demonstrated to be deliverable and is sufficiently ambitious to reflect the Vale’s position in the Future Wales national growth area.’’ It also notes that this level of growth has been chosen so that it is ‘’complementary to, rather than competing with, the neighbouring authority of Cardiff and the wider Cardiff Capital Region (CCR).’’.
5.24 Whilst it is agreed that the level of growth may be realistic based on past trends, the claim that this is sufficiently ambitious and needs to be at this level to avoid competing with Cardiff is not substantiated by evidence to suggest that a higher level of growth could not also achieve these principles.
5.25 Cardiff, as the capital city of Wales, also demonstrated historic under delivery when publishing its deposit plan for consultation in February 2025, which was the case for allocated sites as well as generally for annual delivery rates over the adopted plan period. This resulted in a failure to meet targets over the last 10 years of their adopted plan. Whilst Cardiff has made progress in more recent years, the latest Annual Monitoring Report published in October 2025 notes that to date the region has met just 58% of its overall dwelling requirements over the plan period from 2006-2025.
5.26 Accordingly, with Cardiff opting to continue with a medium growth option for their RLDP despite these shortfalls, there is no sound basis to suggest that adopting a higher growth level within the Vale would detrimentally impact upon housing delivery or ‘compete’ with Cardiff.
5.27 In summary, Barratt Redrow acknowledge the overall medium growth strategy, however given the Vale’s position within the Cardiff Capital Region and its designation as a national growth area, Barratt Redrow maintain that the proposed RLDP should be more ambitious when it comes to housing targets. Drawing on examples from Bridgend (14% flexibility), Swansea (20%), and Monmouthshire (15%), alongside evidence of historic under-delivery and recent Welsh Government household projections, there are sufficient grounds to warrant increasing the proposed flexibility allowance to a minimum of 15%, equating to a total requirement of 9,074 homes up to 2036.
5.28 These steps would help account for any potential overreliance on existing landbanks and variable windfall delivery rates which could in theory limit the plan’s ability to address unmet housing need. Overall, we conclude that a higher flexibility allowance and additional site allocations, such as Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe, are necessary to ensure the RLDP is able to effectively meet local need over the plan period. The benefits of which shall also demonstrate the emerging RLDP is supported by a robust, proportionate and credible evidence base to accord with the requirements of the Development Plan Manual for Wales and national growth objectives.
Policy SP2 – Settlement Hierarchy
5.29 Policy SP2 highlights that development will be focused with the Strategic Growth Area and that its distribution will be shaped by settlement hierarchy and seeks to direct ‘growth to locations that will provide the greatest opportunities for delivering housing to meet affordable needs, community infrastructure and enhanced sustainable transport provision’.
5.30 Accordingly, despite Wenvoe being identified as a primary settlement, Policy SP2 notes that development in this location will be limited to ‘the efficient and sustainable use of existing buildings, infill opportunities, small-scale affordable housing led schemes, and rural enterprise/ agricultural related developments.’ Similarly, it is noted that Policy SP2 does not consider Wenvoe to be an appropriate location for ‘’substantial additional growth’’.
5.31 Barratt Redrow object to the approach to Primary Settlements as set out under this Policy, as Wenvoe is inherently sustainable and the explanation for discounting it as an area to accommodate growth is considered unjustified.
5.32 First of all, the Deposit Plan acknowledges that it performs a similar function to the Primary Settlements located within the Strategic Growth Area and it is described as one of the ‘sustainable communities’ in The Vale of Glamorgan Key Characteristics section, as noted previously in Section 3.
5.33 Likewise, the site benefits from excellent accessibility the local public transport network, active travel routes and local services. These characteristics fully accord with Welsh Government’s strategic objectives and emphasise the fact that Swn Y Coed constitutes an appropriate location for future housing.
5.34 With regard to Policy SP2 discounting Wenvoe as a location to accommodate growth, this is due to the Vales’s stance that the settlement is ‘’significantly limited by the presence of Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land on the edge’’. Barratt Redrow do not consider this to be sufficient justification to discount the site from allocation as there would be limited impact on BMW agricultural land arising from the development of Swn Y Coed.




5.35 For example, as set out in the ALC report prepared by Kernon CCL and provided as part of the Candidate Submission Ref 437, the highest grade on site would be Subgrade 3a, with the site comprising a mix of Subgrades 3a and 3b. This means that in National Policy terms, development of the site would be in accordance with paragraph 3.59 of PPW 12 as the lowest grade available.
5.36 Furthermore, any perceived harm in terms of agricultural land is not considered to outweigh the benefits brought by the development in terms of contributing to both affordable and market housing need over the plan period, not least given the historic shortfalls identified earlier in this submission.
Policy SP4 - Placemaking
5.37 Policy SP4 is recognised as a key Policy in the emerging RLDP to ensure that new proposals align with existing communities and placemaking principles across the county.
5.38 Policy SP4 also requires all major development to provide a ‘Placemaking Statement’. It should be made clear in the Policy, as per Paragraph 6.34 of the Deposit Plan, that this is not expected to be a standalone statement, but will form part of a Design and Access Statement. We recommend the policy is amended as follows:
5.39 Nonetheless, the development of Swn Y Coed is considered to coincide with the objectives of Policy SP4, where the illustrative masterplan submitted as part of previous representations demonstrates its capability to deliver a range of housing types and tenures, whilst integrating key green infrastructure features.
5.40 Local services and facilities are also accessible from this location, tying in with criteria 7, and supports public transport use (as per criteria 4) given the close proximity to a frequent bus route.
5.41 Likewise, the quantum of units proposed demonstrates efficient use of the land based on the net developable area and site constraints in line with emerging Polic PGD2.
5.42 In principle Barratt Redrow supports Policy SP4 and the aim of ensuring all new development is of high-quality sustainable design.
Policy PGD1 – Creating Well Designed and Inclusive Places
5.43 Barratt Redrow question the need for both Policies SP4 and PGD1 as there is repetition. In principle the criteria as set out is as to be expected, however there is a need to recognise that not all criteria can always be accommodated on development sites. There are other environmental and economic factors need to be considered. However, if Policy PGD1 remains, then the text needs to be updated to suggest a site by site basis rather than the current blanket approach suggested.
Policy PGD2 – Residential Development Densities
5.44 Residential densities are supported as a principle, however, should not be so prescriptive as to unnecessarily restrict development. Policy PGD2 outlines that residential development over 0.5ha will be permitted where the residential density is a minimum of 35 dwellings per net hectare within Key, Service Centre and Primary Settlements and 30 dwellings per net hectare in Minor Rural Settlements.
5.45 A minor point in relation to the policy wording is the ‘dwellings per net hectare’ and the removal of non-developable space in any calculations. Whilst this is normal, the increased requirements relating to SAB, green infrastructure requirements and increased ecological mitigation all have a direct impact on the remaining available land and it is positive to see there is an allowance for some flexibility.
5.46 The density requirement appears to be reasonable in approach, and the flexibility to allow individual site adjustments (as per the remaining text within the Policy) is supported. There will be occasions where the density will need to be considered due to other on-site factors.
5.47 Policy SP5 is supported in principle insofar as it seeks to promote healthier and more inclusive places, consistent with the objectives of Planning Policy Wales and the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. However, to ensure the policy is robust and effective, it is important that it is supported by an up-to-date and clearly evidenced policy framework. In this regard, the supporting evidence base, particularly BP36 – Planning Healthy Places (June 2024), should be reviewed to ensure that the datasets referenced reflect the most recent available information. For example, life expectancy data currently cited (2018–2020) and indicators based on the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019 should be updated where possible to reflect the most recent datasets, including the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025 and any updated public health, active travel, air quality and demographic data. Ensuring that the evidence base reflects the latest available information is necessary to demonstrate that the policy is justified and based on an accurate understanding of local health conditions and inequalities.
5.48 The policy framework should also be updated to reflect the Health Impact Assessment (Wales) Regulations 2025, which were approved by the Senedd in November 2025 and will come into force on 6 April 2027. At present, these forthcoming statutory requirements are not referenced within Policy SP5 or the supporting guidance. Given that the regulations will establish a statutory framework for the preparation of Health Impact Assessments in Wales, it will be important for the RLDP and supporting documents to clarify how the policy’s screening, checklist and Rapid HIA requirements will interact with the statutory regime once implemented. Including reference to the regulations would help ensure that the policy remains aligned with national legislation and is future-proofed over the plan period.
5.49 The supporting Rapid Participatory HIA of the Deposit RLDP (BP3, September 2025) provides useful background regarding the Council’s engagement with stakeholders in preparing the plan. However, it would be beneficial for the Council to clearly explain how the findings of that work have informed the specific requirements contained within Policy SP5. Providing a clearer link between the outcomes of the participatory HIA and the policy approach adopted in the RLDP would improve transparency and demonstrate that the policy has been shaped by the evidence gathered through the stakeholder engagement process.


Policy SP5 - Creating Healthy and Inclusive Places and Spaces


5.50 The emerging Health Placemaking Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) is broadly welcomed as a practical tool to support implementation of the policy. Nevertheless, a number of matters require further clarification prior to its adoption. In particular, whilst the SPG provides greater clarity regarding the use of the Healthy Placemaking Checklist and Rapid HIAs, it does not clearly identify the circumstances in which a comprehensive (full) HIA would be required. The SPG should also be updated to reflect forthcoming guidance from the Welsh Health Impact Assessment Support Unit (WHIASU) expected in 2026, and ensure alignment with other relevant policies and guidance, including those relating to design, travel plans, public transport accessibility and open space provision. Given the number of cross-references within the SPG, it will be important that these documents are fully aligned and consistent.
5.51 Finally, any requirement for a Health Impact Assessment should be applied on a proportionate basis, reflecting the scale, nature and likely impacts of the development proposed. The policy should therefore make clear that the scope and level of detail required for HIAs will be proportionate to the scale and type of development. Subject to these amendments and clarifications, the policy would provide a clearer and more effective framework for integrating health considerations into the planning process.
5.52 Please refer to Policy SP1 as written response also accounts for information proposed under this particular policy.


Policy SP6 – Housing Requirements
Policy HG1 – Housing Allocations
Policy HG1 (B) – Housing Allocations
• HG1 (3) Barry - Land at Hayes Lane 5.53 Barratt Redrow question the suitability of allocating residential development on the site known as Land at Hayes Lane, The Bendricks. These concerns are centred on the following:
• 5.54 Whilst the site is technically identified within the settlement boundary, it is clearly not a sustainable location for residential development. This is evident by virtue of the fact that Land at Hayes Lane is situated within an existing industrial estate and lacks any supporting facilities. The former reinforces the principle that as a whole the area is characterised by a mix of light industrial and heavy industrial uses which naturally conflicts with the prospect of future residential housing. Moreover, it is reasonable to assume vehicles using the local highway network will be larger in nature (such as HGV’s) and given the majority of streets do not contain dedicated pedestrian footpaths/ cycleways, this raises concerns from a highway safety perspective.
• 5.55 Although we note the Transport Statement from AECOM suggests access can theoretically be achieved to Barry and Sully. Both of these settlements remain over 2km from the site and lie outside of the distances deemed acceptable by Transport for Wales (TfW) to support resident development.
•

Unsustainable Location & Poor Connectivity Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• 5.56 Allocating housing on Land at Hayes Lane which therefore does not comply with such criteria would clearly undermine the Council’s objective of pursuing a Transport Orientated Growth approach and by virtue of which risk promoting an unsustainable pattern of development within the emerging RLDP.
• 5.57 As outlined above given the nature of the area there are almost no existing active travel routes in this part of the region. This lack of provision would ultimately lead to future residents using alterative options and many of which would require residents to overcome physical barriers in order to travel in a more sustainable manner. For instance, due to the level of infrastructure associated with the port, the site is effectively detached from the main urban area of Barry and would involve crossing an active railway line halfway along Wimborne Road without sufficient mitigation measures in place. On the other hand, whilst Hayes Road extends further west towards Sully, it follows the southern boundary of the Polaris Industrial Estate which contains various access points that are in regular use throughout the day. Collectively these characteristics would prevent future occupants travelling in a more active manner which is in direct conflict with both local and national planning policy objectives.
• 5.58 The site’s geographic isolation means that access to modes of public transport are extremely limited. Most notably that includes railway stations with the nearest being Cadoxton Station which is located circa 3.8km north of the site. By AECOM’s own accord this is considered to equate to a minimum walking distance of 52 minutes which exceeds TFW’s standards for residential development. Again, this reinforces the fact future residents would be overly reliant on private vehicles to access local services (such as employment opportunities, schools, doctor surgeries etc) which in turn shall achieve an unsustainable pattern of growth and increase associated carbon emissions.
• 5.59 Crucially, the site remains allocated in the adopted LDP for B1/B8 employment uses. These intended to facilitate small industrial and workshop units as part of the Atlantic Trading Estate’s expansion and in turn support opportunities for local businesses/ enterprise ventures. The council’s latest Employment Land Review confirms a clear demand for such uses in Barry, with Land at Hayes Lane representing the most logical location for further growth. Reallocating this land for housing would therefore diminish the Vale of Glamorgan’s ability to attract sufficient economic investment to support the requisite levels of growth over the emerging plan period, and potentially displace businesses to other less suitable parts of the region which would not be in the interests of good placemaking as per PPW12.
• 5.60 Although the RLDP’s evidence base suggests there are other development opportunities within the region that could compensate for the proposed loss of employment land. Upon further review it is apparent these are in less favourable locations from both a strategic and operational standpoint. Reassigning Land at Hayes Lane from employment to residential would therefore undermine the Council’s objective of safeguarding existing employment land and prioritising business/ industrial uses in area’s well served by infrastructure designed to accommodate such activities (such as Barry Docks). Furthermore, it would also set a precedent for other potential losses and in doing so impact the Council’s ability to meet the region’s employment needs up to 2036.
•

Loss of Allocated Employment Land Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• 5.61 By virtue of the above, Barratt Redrow object to the proposed allocation of residential development on Land at Hayes Lane. The principle of which is in direct conflict with the Welsh Government’s objectives set out within PPW12 & Future Wales: The National Plan 2040 and the need to ensure existing employment land is suitably protected. The latter is crucial in attracting future investment to the region and shall act as a catalyst to enable housing to be delivered elsewhere, in more sustainable locations better connected to local services/ facilities, such as Wenvoe.
• 5.62 Whilst we do not oppose the overall principle of residential development at Site C (Central Parcel), this position must be considered in the context of the wider allocation. Applications for Sites A and B (2020/00351/OUT (Site A) & 2020/00352/OUT (Site B)) are currently pending subject to respective Section 106 Agreements, with prolonged negotiations resulting in significant delays to delivery. This experience clearly demonstrates that development within this allocation is complex and subject to extended viability and legal discussions, which inevitably impacts the rate at housing is able to come forward.
• 5.63 According to the Council’s register we understand Site C has not been subject to any formal planning application, and therefore there is no detailed evidence available regarding the proposed layout design, infrastructure requirements, viability, or anticipated submission and determination timeframes. Despite this, the Council’s housing trajectory assumes development commencing in 2028/29, with 35 units initially and 45 units annually thereafter. Given the absence of a live application and the precedent of delays on Sites A and B, these delivery assumptions appear overly optimistic based on current evidence.
• 5.64 On that basis we maintain that the Council should reassess the trajectory assumptions for this particular site and identify other alternatives to help account for any unforeseen slippage on Site C. The provision of Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe represents an ideal opportunity to absorb the fallout in terms of housing numbers whilst ensuring the RLDP incorporates sufficient flexibility to consistently meet housing need over the entire plan period.
• 5.65 Although we do not necessarily dispute this sites progression, given Wates have submitted a full planning application (Ref 2024/01152/FUL) which is currently under consideration.
• 5.66 It is important to recognise that, according to the Council’s online planning register, two substantive consultation concerns remain outstanding. Firstly, the Highways response raises fundamental layout issues; and secondly, the Ecology department maintains a holding objection on the basis of insufficient supporting evidence. To date we understand both matters remain unresolved and may well require extensive design amendments, additional technical work, and potentially further consultation before the application can ultimately be determined.
• 5.67 In the absence of confirmed solutions to these issues, there remains uncertainty regarding the timeframe for determining the planning permission. Furthermore, even if consent is secured, there will be a need to discharge conditions and address any pre-commencement requirements, which will inevitably impact the lead-in time before development gets underway.
•

• HG1 (5) Llantwit Major - Land between the Northern Access Road and Eglwys Brewis Road (Site C – Central Parcel)
• HG1 (7) St Athan - Former Stadium Site, adjacent to Burley Place
Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• 5.68 Given these outstanding matters, the assumption that development will commence in 2027/28 appears optimistic at this stage. Delivery timescales may be extended depending on the scale of amendments required and the duration of condition discharge processes. With this in mind, we believe it is prudent for the emerging RLDP to identify a broader and more diverse portfolio of site allocations to support housing delivery earlier on in the plan period. Ensuring flexibility through additional deliverable sites (such as Swn Y Coed) will reduce the Council’s overreliance on sites such as this one and provide greater certainty in maintaining a more consistent supply of homes over the plan period irrespective of potential delays that may arise on this site.
• 5.69 Whilst we understand that the proposed developer, Edenstone Homes, has recently engaged with the Council through its pre-application service. According to the Council’s planning register, no formal planning application has been submitted to date. As such, there remains no confirmed development proposal, agreed technical evidence base, or indicative determination timeframe associated with the allocation.
• 5.70 In the absence of a live application, there is a considerable degree of uncertainty surrounding the anticipated delivery programme. The housing trajectory assumes development commencing in 2027/28; however, this appears optimistic given that an application has yet to be submitted, validated or determined. Even following any grant of planning permission, there would be a requirement to discharge pre-commencement conditions and satisfy any relevant planning obligations before development could lawfully begin. From experience these processes can be time-consuming and may result in significant delays with regards to lead-in times prior to first completions.
• 5.71 Given this uncertainty, reliance on the site to deliver within the early phases of the plan period carries risk. It is therefore important that the emerging RLDP identifies a broader and more diverse portfolio of deliverable site allocations to support housing delivery, particularly in the earlier years of the plan. Incorporating additional sites with stronger prospects of short-term delivery will provide flexibility, resilience, and greater confidence in maintaining a robust housing land supply should delays arise on this allocation.
• 5.72 Barratt Redrow acknowledges the Council’s position in respect of Site HG3 (1) – Former Eagleswell Primary School, including the temporary five-year consent (2024–2029) for 90 units of short-term accommodation and their inclusion within housing completions for monitoring purposes.
• 5.73 Given their expressly temporary nature and planned relocation to other sites within the Vale by 2029, it is essential that these units are not double counted in a way. As the risk of doing so would artificially inflate the Vale’s housing numbers, thereby preventing delivery opportunities elsewhere over the plan period.
• 5.74 Although Barratt Redrow welcome the clarification provided at paragraph 6.111 which states that once the temporary units are removed and the site is redeveloped for permanent accommodation, any future dwellings will not be included within the RLDPs housing supply
•

• HG1 (8) St Athan - Clive Road, St Athan

Policy HG3 – Housing Led Redevelopment Opportunity Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• figures. In the interest of soundness, we believe this should explicitly set out within the proposed wording of Policy HG3 to avoid any potential ambiguity and thus ensure no additional net housing contributions will arise from the site upon its redevelopment later down the line.
• 5.75 This approach is critical given the Vale’s substantial existing landbank and the number of allocations being rolled forward, as cumulatively factoring in additional units from this site would further constrain opportunities to accommodate genuine growth elsewhere. Thereby limiting the Council’s ability to effectively meet local housing need up to 2036.
• 5.76 In principle, Barratt Redrow support Policy SP7’s objective to secure a minimum of 3,070 affordable homes over the plan period. That said, given the level of affordable housing is directly proportionate to the total housing provision within RLDP we believe there is scope for further uplifts in that respect.
• 5.77 As mentioned above Barratt Redrow maintain that there is sufficient evidence to justify increasing the proposed housing requirements through the Vale’s flexibility allowance in order to maximise opportunities for growth. In turn this would prevent artificially capping affordable housing provision at 3,070 homes to ensure the plan is positively prepared by incorporating measures that proactively address demand across the region.
• 5.78 National policy clearly supports this approach. Planning Policy Wales requires development plans to be positively prepared and to maximise the delivery of affordable housing as a key component of sustainable placemaking. The Development Plan Manual reinforces the need for plans to be aspirational, evidence-led and sufficiently flexible to ensure delivery. Furthermore, the Welsh Government 2025-based estimates of additional housing need report highlights the need for a step change in affordable housing delivery across Wales, recognising that continuation of past trends will not address the current affordability challenges. Collectively, this provides a clear direction of travel in that it’s imperative to uplift housing provision where affordability pressures are acute such as the Vale of Glamorgan.
• 5.79 To ensure the RLDP is sound, the Council should increase the overall housing requirement by apply a meaningful flexibility allowance that ensure sufficient contingency measures are in place to consistently meet local need over the plan period. This would directly increase the quantum of affordable housing secured through policy mechanisms, thereby aligning the Plan with national policy objectives. The latter goes to the heart of the tests of soundness within the Development Plan Manual in ensuring the plan is not only appropriate but capable of delivering the step change required to address affordable housing needs up to 2036.
• 5.80 Similarly, it is considered that Policy SP7 should be updated to allow flexibility and avoid the risk of contradicting Policy SP8. At present the blanket approach to affordable provision does not allow for site-specific delivery or viability requirements which may arise and as such, the amplification text should also include a note similar to the following:
•

Policy SP7 – Affordable Housing Provision
‘Where the target affordable housing percentage is considered unviable due to physical, financial, or other constraints, sites will be reviewed on an individual basis following submission of a detailed viability assessment and any supporting evidence as necessary’. Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• 5.81 Barratt Redrow supports the position that residential development should help meet affordable housing need. Although to ensure Policy SP8 is effective its important the percentage requirements and site thresholds proposed must be viable across a range of site types and market areas to ensure they do not inadvertently suppress delivery.
• 5.82 On that basis we believe it would be prudent for the Deposit Plan to clarify that affordable housing targets are subject to site-specific viability considerations and can be adjusted in circumstances where comply with such parameters would render the sites viable and thus prevent delivery. Greater flexibility is also needed in tenure and mix to better reflect evolving local needs over the entire plan period including the point when planning applications are formally submitted. This would help ensure that the approach is consistent with paragraph 4.2.32 of PPW 12 which suggests that ‘site specific targets are indicative affordable housing targets which should be established for each residential site…’.
• 5.83 As noted above, the blanket approach to affordable housing requirements based on the Council’s latest needs evidence does not have due consideration for the event of unique technical complexities that many sites could face, nor viability considerations which may affect delivery, particularly early on in the plan period. As such, re-wording of the policy text to allow for sites to be reviewed on an individual basis where such circumstances apply is considered necessary for soundness.
• 5.84 Barratt Redrow support the overall objective of Policy SP10 in seeking to promote sustainable transport, increase active travel opportunities and reduce reliance on the private car in accordance with national placemaking objectives. Encouraging development in accessible locations such as Wenvoe and enhancing connectivity between settlements is welcomed. However, for soundness its important the policy recognises the different physical characteristics across the Vale of Glamorgan, particularly in edge-of-settlement and rural contexts where flexibility is necessary to ensure sustainable growth is not unduly constrained.
• 5.85 In this regard, the Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe site (Ref 437) represents a sustainable and deliverable opportunity that aligns fully with the objectives of Policy SP10.
• 5.86 The Candidate Site submission was accompanied by a Technical Note prepared by Lime Transport. Seen as the site abuts the defined urban area of Wenvoe it represents a logical extension to the existing settlement and is well served by a range of local amenities and public transport. In terms of the latter the nearest bus stop is located within 100 meters of the site whilst the majority of local amenities are situated within 1.2 kilometres walking distance. Together these factors naturally promote the principle of linked trips which fully accords with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportations (CIHT) guidelines and reinforces the fact the site is a sustainable location for residential development.
• 5.87 As shown within the latest illustrative masterplan the proposed site will be served by a new junction off Old Port Road. This is confirmed as being the most appropriate arrangement from a highway safety perspective and would be supported by other technical analysis to demonstrate that sufficient visibility can be achieved on to the road for all potential users.
•

Policy SP8 – Affordable Housing Requirements
Policy SP10 – Sustainable Transport Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• 5.88 The accompanying Transport Assessment also demonstrates that there is sufficient capacity within the local highway network to accommodate the projected level of demand associated with this level of development. Where necessary, any future scheme would also facilitate other improvements which may well include widening the highway along Old Port Road and/ or Walston Road to accommodate two-way traffic and providing a dedicated pedestrian/ cycle junction to connect on to the existing active travel route which leads into the centre of Wenvoe. The existing field access would also be blocked up to create a more cohesive layout. However as shown within the latest masterplan the existing public right of way which crosses the site shall be retained and enhanced to promote better pedestrian connectivity throughout the local area.
• 5.89 In terms of active travel, dedicated pedestrian footpaths and cycleways will be incorporated throughout the scheme before filtering into the surrounding area. The site is also situated within an area which benefits from good access on to existing active travel routes and a number of which have also been identified for further improvements which reinforces the schemes sustainability. These principles fully accord with the relevant placemaking objectives set out within the National Plan 2040 and PPW12, and demonstrates that safe and suitable access can be achieved for all users.
• 5.90 Subject to proportionate application of Policy SP10 and recognition of the robust mitigation proposed, the site clearly supports and advances the sustainable transport objectives of the emerging RLDP.
• 5.91 Barratt Redrow object to Policy CC1 on the basis that it duplicates and potentially exceeds Welsh Government’s Future Homes Standard (FHS), which is intended to ensure all new homes are “zero-carbon ready” through a consistent national Building Regulations framework. Introducing a separate and more onerous operational net zero requirement at the local level risks imposing additional cost and complexity that undermines site viability and deliverability. The Development Plans Manual for Wales is clear that development plans must avoid repeating national policy and should not introduce requirements that are more appropriately addressed through other regulatory regimes. In this respect, Policy CC1 conflicts with the principle that plans should be clear, proportionate and not duplicate national controls, raising concerns under the tests of soundness relating to coherence and consistency with national policy (Test 2) and whether the plan is justified (Test 3).
• 5.92 The proposed step change in standards from 1 April 2030 — particularly the reduction in space heating demand from 40 kWh/m²/year to 15 kWh/m²/year — represents a significant and abrupt escalation in performance expectations. Whilst reference is made to initiatives such as Tai ar y Cyd and AECB CarbonLite, these have largely been associated with grant-funded affordable housing schemes. There is no clear evidence that equivalent standards can be viably delivered across mainstream private housing schemes without public subsidy. The Development Plans Manual requires policies to be underpinned by robust evidence and deliverable over the plan period. In the absence of clear viability evidence across different site typologies and market conditions, the policy fails to demonstrate that it is justified and effective (Tests 3 and 4).
•

Policy CC1 - Residential Operational Net Zero Carbon Development Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• 5.93 Policy CC1 also risks creating fragmented energy performance standards across different Local Planning Authorities in Wales. This undermines the benefit of a consistent national approach through Building Regulations and makes it more difficult for volume housebuilders operating across multiple authority areas to deliver homes efficiently at scale. The Manual emphasises that development plans should facilitate delivery and avoid unnecessary complexity. By introducing bespoke operational monitoring requirements, energy modelling thresholds and potential financial offset mechanisms, the policy blurs the boundary between planning and Building Control functions. This raises concerns as to whether the policy is effective and capable of consistent implementation (Test 4).Finally, the Council’s own Viability Assessment (BP42, paragraph 6.60) acknowledges uncertainty pending Welsh Government’s consultation outcome and suggests that, if national regulation progresses, it may be more appropriate for such matters to be addressed through Building Control rather than planning policy. This reinforces the concern that Policy CC1 is premature and may quickly become misaligned with national policy. As drafted, the policy risks undermining housing supply, affordable housing delivery and overall plan implementation. For these reasons, it fails to satisfy the tests of soundness in respect of coherence with national policy, justification and effectiveness, and should be deleted or fundamentally amended to align fully with the national regulatory framework.
• 5.94 Alternatively, if Policy CC1 is kept in the RLDP, there must be some flexibility introduced for the requirements of Policy CC1 to fall away should Building Regulations catch up or exceed or require different provisions than the requirements of Policy CC1 during the lifetime of the RLDP. To not provide this flexibility would mean that the ability of the RLDP to deliver the new homes in VoG needs could be compromised. Clarification is also required on how the contribution to the Council’s Project Zero fund is to be calculated and whether the timeframes in Policy CC1 relate to the date of planning approval.
• 5.95 Furthermore, the demands of Policy CC1 have to be considered in the context of all of the other demands that impact on development viability (e.g. affordable housing). The Council must provide evidence that an assessment has been undertaken to demonstrate that development, specifically the housing allocations in Policy HG1, can bear the cumulative policy costs of the RLDP, including Policy CC1.
• 5.96 The policy wording should be amended so that the performance requirements apply based on the date of planning permission rather than the RLDP adoption date. Changes in energy performance requirements can significantly affect site layout, building orientation, and design considerations. Without this amendment, approved schemes could unnecessarily require variations via Section 73 or Non Material Amendment applications.
• 5.97 As such, Policy CC1 should be amended to ensure that it is precise, measurable and enforceable and achieves the three tests of soundness. The proposed amended wording is as follows:
•

Developments that secure a planning permission from RLDP adoption to 31st March 2030 will be required to meet the following criteria:
i. Space heating demand less than or equal to 40kWh/m2/year;
ii. Energy use intensity less than or equal to 75kWh/m2/year; and Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• 5.98 Barratt Redrow do not consider that Policy SP13 – Community Infrastructure and Planning Obligations is required. This is predicated on the basis that such matters are dealt with under separate legislative and policy frameworks. Therefore, as currently drafted the proposed policy (and supporting text) do not add anything further information for planning purposes and risk unnecessary duplication.
• 5.99 Whilst there are no comments regarding the principle, thresholds and use of the FIT standards in terms of the open space provision, Barratt Redrow do question the requirement for an Open Space Strategy for all sites that meet the thresholds.
• 5.100 The requirement within emerging Policy CI1 for applicants to prepare or submit an Open Space Strategy is not considered to be sufficiently justified or proportionate when assessed against Planning Policy Wales, which promotes access to open space and recreational provision but does not prescribe the preparation of standalone Open Space Strategies for individual planning applications. There is a lack of clarification as to what it proposed and also how the level of detail would be proportional to the size of the site, which would be addressed comprehensively in a DAS or Green Infrastructure Statement in any event.
• 5.101 Furthermore, the proposed 62.2 m² per dwelling requirement is overly prescriptive and not aligned with 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.
• 5.102 In principle Barratt Redrow support the aim of this policy in ensuring proposed development incorporate measures that protect and enhance green infrastructure provision.
• 5.103 For completeness Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe exhibits a landscape led design that sensitively responds to its existing features, and provides an attractive, landscaped and high-quality public realm throughout. A number of priority habitats including a network of hedgerows have been retained throughout. Extensive landscape buffers and a continued natural edge will be provided to the site to accommodate root protection zones of existing trees and hedgerows which visually screen the development from adjacent uses. Moreover, a dedicated area of Public Open Space and Local Equipped Area of Play (LEAP) is proposed to the south of the site.
•

Developments that secure a planning permission from 1st April 2030 onwards will require:
i. Space heating demand less than or equal to 15kWh/m2/year;
ii. Energy use intensity less than or equal to 40kWh/m2/year; and
Policy SP13 - Community Infrastructure and Planning Obligations
Policy CI1 – Open Space Provision
Policy SP19 – Green Infrastructure Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• 5.104 Barratt Redrow object to the continued inclusion of Swn Y Coed within the Dyffryn Basin & Ridge Slopes - 5 Special Landscape Area (SLA) under Policy DNP1.
• 5.105 As highlighted in Background Paper BP28 – Special Landscape Areas, Paragraph 1.8, the Council considers that the SLA as defined in the 2008 ‘Designation of Special Landscape Areas - Final Report’ remain relevant, up-to-date, and based on current best practise and have therefore not undertake a review of the report to inform the emerging Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP).
• 5.106 Whilst the Authority have not sufficiently updated their evidence base, the site was subject to a detailed review as part of the Candidate Site submission by Soltys Brewester Landscape which highlighted that the site is located on the edge of land subject to Dyffryn Basin and Ridge Slopes SLA. This designation is ‘underpinned’ by LANDMAP Areas St Nicholas and Bonvilston Ridge Slopes, (VLFGLVS614) and St Nicholas and Bonvilston Ridge Crest (VLFGLVS271), both evaluated as High.
• 5.107 However, the vast majority of the designated land will fall outside the visual envelope for the Swn Y Coed site and there will be no change to the key characteristics of the SLA or the LANDMAP areas to the west or to the north of the site boundary.
• 5.108 A noted characteristic of the SLA relates to the prominence of the sloping edge, (i.e. St Nicholas and Bonvilston Ridge Slopes, (VLFGLVS614), within views from Wenvoe Valley to the east. The visual appraisal establishes that site development has the potential to partially change the appearance of this edge within available views.
• 5.109 However, opportunities for GI provision within the site including retention and enhancement of the existing boundary hedges and trees which has the potential to minimise any visible change. Furthermore, as illustrated on the submitted masterplan, the existing hedges and field pattern within and around the site will be key structural elements guiding and sub-dividing the development form.
• 5.110 When considered in the context of the extensively wooded nature of the slopes visible to the east, any visible change to valley slope characteristics is likely to be very marginal and visually insignificant within the study area.
• 5.111 Moreover, the illustrative masterplan includes measures that will assist with GI mitigation and enhancement, including SUDs features, accessible landscape buffers and green spaces.
• 5.112 Therefore, it was concluded that from a landscape and visual perspective the site has the ability to suitably incorporate residential development and include GI enhancements, to assist with its visual integration, as a visually appropriate extension to Wenvoe, and should be removed from the Dyffryn Basin & Ridge Slopes - 5 Special Landscape Area under Policy DNP1.
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Policy DNP1 - Special Landscape Areas Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• 5.113 Barratt Redrow object to the site at Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe still forming part of Green Wedge 3 - North of Wenvoe within Policy DNP2, which seeks to prevent coalescence between the western edge of Cardiff and Wenvoe.
• 5.114 Barratt Redrow have reviewed BP27 Green Wedges and consider that the assessment under NW2 does not consider nor reference the fact that the site at Swn Y Coed relates to the context of built development at Wenvoe and is very well-contained by both mature woodland and landform and possesses strong intervisibility with the northern edge of Wenvoe. Instead, BP27 looks to discuss the southern boundary of Culverhouse Cross and the association with the wider countryside.
• 5.115 As previously states Barratt Redrow consider that the site boundaries are well-defined and would provide a strong established ‘defensible’ limit to development. The topography connects with the main settlement to the extent that any new development would appear well connected to the existing settlement, physically and visually. This is a similar situation to the adjoining former Wenvoe Quarry and Vale of Glamorgan Council Depot which are considered to be ‘largely shielded from view by woodland blocks/strips’.
• 5.116 Furthermore, the existing dispersed housing and the hotel/pub along Old Port Road also provide some precedent for ‘infilling’ the site. Proposed development should seek to reflect the low density, height and well-treed character of Wenvoe to help ensure it has a coherent and visually connected relationship. GI mitigation and enhancement benefits likely to result from the site development, including placemaking, value or integration in relation to landscape and visual considerations.
• 5.117 The proposed development of the small area of the Green Wedge would not undermine the principles and would still prevent the coalescence of Wenvoe with Cardiff by maintaining a minimum 0.7km separation and would not significantly impact upon the openness of land.
• 5.118 Moreover, the illustrative masterplan provided as part of Candidate Site 437 includes measures that will assist with GI mitigation and enhancement, including SUDs features, accessible landscape buffers and green spaces. Further recommendations to maximise opportunities to reinforce GI, including placemaking, value or integration are outlined below:
• 5.119 Overall, Barratt Redrow maintain their objection to the inclusion of the Swn Y Coed site within Green Wedge 3 - North of Wenvoe under Policy DNP2. From a landscape and visual
•

Policy DNP2 – Green Wedges
• Retention, management and strengthening of structural green corridors and boundaries to the site, including the overgrown hedges and trees;
• More visible areas on elevated sections of the site should include a higher proportion of trees, including gardens and street trees and woodland to more visually integrate the development when viewed from the Wenvoe Valley to the east; and
• Footpath corridors through the site could be integrated with the development through appropriate hedge and garden vegetation to ensure attractive recreational corridors are provided. Similarly informal routes around the perimeter could continue to offer amenity value through sympathetic boundary treatments and informal planting.
Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• perspective, the site has the ability to suitably incorporate residential development and include GI enhancements, to assist with its visual integration, as a visually appropriate extension to Wenvoe. Moreover, the development of the site immediately adjoining the existing settlement boundary at Wenvoe would not detract from the purpose of the wider Green Wedge.
• 5.120 Policy DNP8 seeks to address recreational pressure on the Severn Estuary Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area and Ramsar Site. Whilst Barratt Redrow appreciate the overarching purpose in its current form the proposed policy lacks sufficient supporting information explaining how it will operate in practice. The supporting text suggests that key details relating to mitigation delivery, including mechanisms such as Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace and wider access management measures, will be set out in future Supplementary Planning Guidance. Deferring these important details until later down the line creates uncertainty at the plan-making stage and makes it difficult to assess whether the policy is sound, effective and/ or capable of being implemented on a consistent basis.
• 5.121 The policy also provides no clear threshold or criteria for determining what level of activity would constitute “visitor pressure” or an “adverse impact” on the integrity of the designated sites. Similarly, the evidence demonstrating what level of impact residents moving into new homes across the Vale of Glamorgan will generate additional recreational pressure on the Severn Estuary does not appear to have been quantified to date. While a 12.6 km recreational catchment is referenced (in which Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe would technically sit within), the supporting text does not clearly explain the evidence or methodology underpinning this distance. Moreover, the proposed text also fails to set out how new residential development will be assessed in terms of measurable impacts on the European site and thus the scope of mitigation that would subsequently be required.
• 5.122 From a practical standpoint this level of uncertainty is concerning given the implication of this policy are unable to be fully assessed due to the lack of evidence. For instance, if development sites within the catchment are expected to contribute financially towards mitigation measures, then the scale and mechanism of those contributions must be clearly established as part of the plan-making process. Without this clarity, there is a risk that Policy DNP8 could introduce unforeseen costs and extensive time delays, potentially affecting the viability and overall deliverability of proposed housing sites. The cumulative impact of which would then undermining the plan’s ability to meet its housing requirements and risk finding the RLDP unsound.
• 5.123 Barratt Redrow understand the need for a sustainable provision of minerals, as per Policy SP18, however object to the continued inclusion of Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe within an area that is designated as a Category 1 Limestone mineral resource. The site should not be safeguarded from permanent development as detailed in response to Policy MIN1.
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Policy DNP8 – Severn Estuary Recreational Pressure
SP18 - Sustainable Provision of Minerals Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• 5.124 Barratt Redrow object to the continued inclusion of the land at Swn Y Coed as a Category 1 Limestone mineral resource safeguarding area.
• 5.125 A Mineral Resource Assessment, undertaken by Wardell Armstrong, was provided as part of the Candidate Site Assessment and considered the proposed development against the four criteria of Policy MG 22 of the current Adopted Local Development Plan and National Policy. Those criteria are carried forward into Policy MIN1 and the following conclusions are reiterated:
• 5.126 As the resource is constrained by sensitive development any prior extraction would have an unacceptable impact on environmental and amenity considerations.
• 5.127 Limestone extraction has the potential to give rise to unacceptable impact to the immediate residential properties and would be wholly inappropriate.
• 5.128 The extraction of limestone resources beneath the Site has the potential to have an unacceptable impact upon:
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MIN1 - Development in Minerals Safeguarding Areas
• Criterion 1: Prior extraction of economic minerals prior to development
• Criterion 2: Demonstrating extraction would have unacceptable impact

a) Ambient noise levels,
b) Air quality,
c) Ground vibration and air overpressure from blasting,
d) Limited site access/egress onto the Old Port Road would be problematic, and
e) Increased traffic generation by HGVs.
• Criterion 3: Development would have no significant impact on the possible working of the resource by reason of its nature or size 5.129 Development would not have significant impact on mineral resources
•
• Criterion 4: Poor quality resource 5.130 The quality and quantity of the mineral resources have not been assessed given the resource is already constrained by sensitive development and any testing or extraction would not be viable nor possible.
• 5.131 As already demonstrated the Category 1 resources cannot be extracted under Criteria 1 and 2 (due to the impact upon amenity) and the proposed residential development would not have a significant impact upon the wider mineral resource (Criterion 3).
• 5.132 Therefore, it is considered unnecessary to undertake site investigations by boreholes and trial pits to determine the ratio of overburden to mineral resource, mineral quality and estimation of the gross mineral resource affected by the proposed development.
• 5.133 Overall, Barratt Redrow consider that the presence of the mineral resource does not preclude the allocation and development of the site as any extraction does not accord with the criteria
•
Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• requirements in MIN1. Therefore, the site at Swn Y Coed should be removed from the safeguarding area.
• 5.134 Barratt Redrow acknowledge the need to retain buildings in some circumstances, however consider that the wording of Policy CC2 is overly restrictive in the sense that a presumption against demolition could impact upon delivery timescales for sites, particularly those including farm buildings.
• 5.135 Accordingly, it is considered necessary to re-word the policy to allow for the demolition of buildings where they are no longer used or needed in the event that a site is proposed to be developed for residential purposes, to assist in meeting the housing need over the plan period.
• 5.136 An additional point should be added to the list of 4 criteria, to note that demolition will be acceptable where it is demonstrated that ‘The existing building occupies a minority portion of the site, and to not demolish the building would prevent and/or restrict the delivery of the wider land for the provision of housing’.
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CC2 – Presumption Against Demolition Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


• 6.1 In summary, Barratt Redrow, remain committed to the development opportunities at ‘Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe’. By virtue of its location the site represents a sustainable extension to the existing settlement of Wenvoe, and we maintain that its inclusion within the emerging RLDP would help promote a more sustainable pattern of development in line with the Council’s vision for the VoG.
• 6.2 Although we understand the Council have opted to pursue a ‘medium growth option’. Having reviewed the accompanying evidence base there is clear justification to warrant higher levels of growth, particularly in respect of housing over the emerging plan period. This would better accommodate the identified housing requirements and align with the Welsh Government’s aspirations to prioritise future development within a National Growth Area. These principles fully accord with PPW12 and Future Wales, whilst also enabling the VoG to proactively take action in order to account for historic unmet need across the county as shown within the latest Annual Monitoring Report (7th Edition).
• 6.3 Barratt Redrow Homes’ most pertinent comments on the consultation document are summarised below:
•

6. CONCLUSION
• Barratt Redrow fully supports the proposed approach to prioritise development in sustainable locations near existing rail and bus infrastructure as depicted by the strategic growth area within the RLDP Key Diagram. However, to optimise the effectiveness of this strategy growth should be focused in areas of high demand, such as Wenvoe, which is near to Cardiff but also inherently well connected by the existing bus network.
• Barratt Redrow support the principle of the Settlement Hierarchy and the identification of Wenvoe as a Primary Settlement. Whilst the importance of which is noted, Barratt Redrow maintain that Wenvoe, in particular, is capable of a higher role and function which can be accommodated at Candidate Site Ref. No 437. This is particularly relevant given the fact that the Service Centres at Cowbridge, Llantwit Major and Penarth are generally more constrained physically and environmentally.
• Barratt Redrow maintain that a higher growth option should be followed. Given the Vale’s position within the Cardiff Capital Region and its designation as a national growth area, we maintain that the proposed RLDP should be more ambitious when it comes to overall housing targets. Drawing on examples from Bridgend (14% flexibility), Swansea (20%), and Monmouthshire (15%), alongside evidence of historic under-delivery and recent Welsh Government household projections, there are sufficient grounds to warrant increasing the proposed flexibility allowance to a minimum of 15%, equating to a total requirement of 9,074 homes up to 2036.
• In the interests of soundness these changes shall help account for any potential overreliance on existing landbanks and variable windfall delivery rates which could in theory limit the plan’s ability to address unmet housing need. Barratt Redrow therefore conclude that a higher flexibility allowance and additional site allocations, such as the land at Swn Y Coed, are necessary to ensure the RLDP is able to effectively meet
Vale of Glamorgan Deposit Plan Representations | Swn Y Coed, Wenvoe – Site 437


local need over the plan period. The benefits of which shall also demonstrate the emerging RLDP is supported by a robust, proportionate and credible evidence base to accord with the requirements of the Development Plan Manual for Wales and national growth objectives.
• Whilst Barratt Redrow welcome the majority of the proposed planning policies from a development management perspective. They strongly object to Policy CC1 (Residential Operational Net Zero Carbon Development) on the basis that it duplicates Welsh Government’s Future Homes Standard (FHS), which is intended to ensure all new homes are “zero-carbon ready” through a consistent national Building Regulations framework.
• Although Barratt Redrow support the requirements for affordable housing in new development. In its current form the proposed policies SP7 and SP8 lack sufficient flexibility for site specific circumstances and physical constraints which may impact upon delivery. This inevitably creates uncertainty for a number of sites, where the blanket approach to affordable housing requirements based on the Council’s latest needs evidence does not have due consideration for the event of unique technical complexities.
• From a planning perspective it is also important to recognise the additional benefits the site (Candidate Site Ref No. 437) could provide in accommodating the increased housing need generated by the suggested 15% flexibility allowance within a highly sustainable location. The principles of which clearly align with the Council’s aspirations and would maximise opportunities for linked trips, enabling residents to meet a greater proportion of their daily needs locally while benefiting from high-quality public transport

Introduction
These representations are provided on behalf of Barratt Redrow in respect of the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s consultation on the Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) Deposit Plan and Candidate Site Register. They should be read in conjunction with the enclosed completed Comments Forms.
Barratt Redrow are promoting land at St Nicholas (Site ID 486) for a residential-led development of up to 140 modern, energy efficient homes, 40% of which are currently proposed to be affordable.
Barratt Redrow is generally supportive of the Council’s work in preparing the RLDP. The preparation of an up-to-date development plan for the Vale is plainly important and the Council is to be supported in progressing the RLDP through to Deposit stage. The principle of a plan-led strategy, rooted in settlement evidence, affordable housing need and sustainable transport objectives, is endorsed. That is particularly important in the current plan-led Welsh planning context.
That said, in its current form the Deposit RLDP is not sufficiently ambitious and, in our view, requires a number of important changes in order to ensure soundness. The key concerns relate to the overall housing requirement, the level of flexibility built into the strategy, the degree of reliance placed on key sites, windfalls and rolled forward supply, the unduly restrictive approach taken to sustainable settlements outside of the Strategic Growth Area and the introduction of onerous policies that when considered together could impact deliverability. Those issues are especially relevant to St Nicholas, which the Council’s own evidence identifies as one of the better performing Minor Rural Settlements and one which has an established role in supporting a sustainable rural community.
The Council’s own evidence base supports a stronger role for St Nicholas than the Deposit Plan currently allows. It demonstrates that proportionate growth in settlements such as St Nicholas is not a departure from the Council’s established strategy; it is consistent with it. The Deposit RLDP should be amended so that it better reflects both national policy and the Council’s own evidence, and in particular so that sustainable and deliverable opportunities such as St Nicholas are able to make an appropriate contribution to meeting the Vale’s housing needs.
The remainder of these representations address the specific policies of the Deposit Plan.
Deposit Plan Plan Period Position: Object
Based on the Development Plans Manual, when a plan is adopted, there should be at least 10 years of the plan period remaining.
On the Council’s current timetable, adoption is only anticipated for August/September 2027, and those post-Deposit stages are expressly identified in the Delivery Agreement as indicative, because they depend on external factors including the number of representations received and the examination process. The Deposit Plan runs only to 2036. That means that, even if the Council hits its best-case programme and adopts in September 2027, the Plan would have only about 8 years and 3 months left to run. That is already below the DPM expectation of at least 10 years remaining at adoption. Any slippage would make that position worse.
Based on the current timetable, an end date of 2038 (with associated increase in housing requirement) would therefore ensure a sound plan.
Policy SP1 – Sustainable Growth Strategy Position: Comment / Object in part
Barratt Redrow supports the broad objective of pursuing a sustainable growth strategy and agrees that growth should be directed towards the most sustainable locations. The emphasis on public transport connectivity, access to services and the need to align housing growth with wider regional aspirations is supported in principle. The Deposit Plan’s summary of Future Wales correctly notes that the Vale lies within the Cardiff, Newport and the Valleys National Growth Area and that Local Development Plans should recognise this area as the focus for strategic economic and housing growth, services and facilities, and transport infrastructure. The Plan also correctly highlights Future Wales’ wider outcomes, including vibrant rural places with access to homes, jobs and services.
Our concern is that the strategy as drafted is not sufficiently nuanced and, in practice, it places too much weight on the Strategic Growth Areas and not enough weight on sustainable settlements outside it. In doing so, it risks overlooking villages which perform well against the Council’s own settlement evidence and which can accommodate proportionate growth in a highly sustainable way. St Nicholas is a clear example of that. The earlier Barratt David Wilson Homes representations made this point and it remains equally relevant now: the strategy should not be read as favouring rail-served locations to the exclusion of settlements with strong bus accessibility and established local services.
This is important because the Council’s own evidence does not justify such a narrow interpretation of sustainable transport. The BP5 methodology was adapted specifically to better appreciate the role and function of settlements in the Vale, including their relationship to key services and facilities. In other words, the Council has already recognised in its evidence base that sustainability in the Vale cannot sensibly be reduced to rail access alone.
St Nicholas benefits from strong bus connectivity and a strategic relationship to Cardiff and other settlements. Supporting population growth in proximity to regular bus services can itself help reinforce the viability of those routes. Para 3.45 of PPW states the following in respect of relationships beyond the Council’s administrative area:
“The evidence to identify suitable areas and sites for development should not be confined by local authority boundaries. It should reflect realities like housing markets, travel to work areas, retail catchments and the nature of activity or development itself.” (emphasis added)
Cardiff is by far the greatest attractor in terms of commuting destination, as shown in the below Census data for the Vale of Glamorgan:
St Nicholas is 16 minutes from Cardiff via bus. Not all people will want to live in towns (as recognised by the Council in their response to the draft NDF). The Spatial Option is depicted on Page 28 of the Spatial Options Background Paper (June 2023). This fails to show St Nicholas as a settlement with frequent bus connectivity despite it being served by excellent bus service provision.
Future Wales supports development which aligns with the South East Wales Metro which includes bus infrastructure and services as well as the rail network. The Deposit Plan’s focus on settlements with railway stations ignores settlements with bus service provision such as St Nicholas where travel via bus is an attractive, sustainable and convenient option for residents. For example, the travel time on bus to Cardiff from St Nicholas is 15 minutes, whereas the travel time from Rhoose to Cardiff via train is over double the time at 36 minutes.
Settlements such as St Nicholas will require additional growth over the coming years in order to contribute to their vibrancy and support existing services and facilities such as the local school and bus service. That remains a legitimate and important planning point. Future Wales, as summarised in the Deposit Plan, requires local authorities to maximise opportunities arising from public transport investment and to plan for growth that supports sustainable connectivity more generally, not simply around rail stations.
There is therefore a soundness issue here. The Council’s own evidence and national policy context support a strategy that captures sustainable bus-connected settlements as well as rail-served settlements. St Nicholas should be expressly recognised as one of those locations. If the Council is seeking to direct development to places “best served by public transport connectivity and [which] offer a good range of services and facilities”, then it should ensure that this is applied consistently to settlements such as St Nicholas rather than in a way that, in practice, privileges only a narrow subset of locations.
For that reason, Policy SP1 should be amended to make clearer that sustainable settlements outside the Strategic Growth Area, where there is good bus connectivity, local facilities and a clear functional relationship with wider employment and service centres, are capable of accommodating proportionate growth. That change would make the strategy more aligned with the evidence base and would support a more robust and resilient pattern of housing delivery.
Policy SP2 – Settlement Hierarchy Position: Object
Barratt Redrow objects to Policy SP2 in its current form.
The Council’s own evidence shows that St Nicholas performs strongly as a Minor Rural Settlement. It scored 39 points and ranked 5th out of 21 Minor Rural Settlements within the Settlement Appraisal Background Paper. It is one of the few settlements in this tier with a school in the village and that its strategic position and public transport accessibility lend support to it being treated as a sustainable settlement capable of accommodating further growth.
That broader conclusion is reinforced by the Deposit Plan itself. Paragraph 6.16 expressly identifies St Nicholas as one of the smaller rural settlements which contains a primary school serving a wider catchment area. The Plan goes on to recognise that, due to the functional links between rural settlements, it is essential to ensure that existing services and facilities are safeguarded, supported or enhanced where appropriate. Those are helpful and important acknowledgements.
However, notwithstanding that evidence, the policy framework remains highly restrictive. The Deposit Plan states that, in Minor Rural Settlements, general market housing will be limited to infill and conversion opportunities within the settlement boundary, whilst any more meaningful growth outside the Strategic Growth Area is essentially restricted to small scale affordable housing-led schemes with a minimum 50% affordable housing requirement. In our view that is too blunt an approach and is not justified by the evidence.
The reason this matters is because the Council’s own historic and current evidence points in the opposite direction. BP5 explains that the adopted LDP provided for moderate growth in Minor Rural Settlements to help meet local housing need and support existing local services. The adopted LDP Written Statement similarly states that minor rural settlements such as St Nicholas play an important role in underpinning sustainable rural communities and that there is a need for some moderate growth in these settlements. The earlier strategy therefore recognised that such locations could accommodate growth without undermining their character or function. The successful development of by Redrow of Cae Newydd, St Nicholas provides an example of how new residential development can successfully integrate into a Minor Rural Settlement.
In our view the current Deposit strategy has moved too far away from that balanced position. The Plan now acknowledges the sustainability credentials of St Nicholas but does not allow those credentials to translate into an appropriate development role. That disconnect between the evidence and the policy response is one of the main reasons why the Plan, as drafted, is not sound.
Accordingly, Policy SP2 should be amended. At the very least, it should be recast so that settlements such as St Nicholas are not treated as locations where only very limited growth can occur. A more proportionate and evidence-led approach would be to allow moderate mixed-tenure growth in the more sustainable Minor Rural Settlements, where this is supported by site-specific evidence and good placemaking. That would better reflect both the Council’s own settlement appraisal and the adopted LDP approach that preceded it. As drafted, the Plan expects a great deal from a very limited rural supply offer. It seeks to secure a minimum 50% affordable housing provision on qualifying sites, requires the mix of homes to respond to latest evidence, including specialist and older persons’ needs, and recognises the need for both affordable and market housing to support mixed communities in rural areas. The Plan also acknowledges the functional role of Minor Rural Settlements such as St Nicholas and the importance of supporting local services within them. In our view, those objectives are unlikely to be achieved through the very limited number of affordable housing-led allocations currently proposed. Additional sites in the more sustainable Minor Rural Settlements are therefore required if the Plan is to deliver what it seeks in a realistic, deliverable and sustainable manner.
Policy SP6 – Housing Requirement Position: Object
Barratt Redrow objects to Policy SP6.
Whilst we support the Council’s intention to plan positively for housing growth through an up-to-date RLDP, the proposed housing requirement of 7,890 dwellings is not considered sufficiently ambitious and, in our view, is no longer justified by the most up-to-date evidence. The Deposit Plan identifies a requirement of 7,890 dwellings, equating to 526 dwellings per annum, with provision for 8,660 homes once the 10% flexibility allowance is applied. That requirement remains rooted in the RLDP’s dwelling-led scenario, which the LHMA explains was derived from average completions over a 10-year period. In our view, that is too conservative an approach in present circumstances.
PPW and the Development Plans Manual is clear on this point. PPW sets out the following requirements for local authorities when setting a housing requirement at paragraph 4.2.6:
“The latest Welsh Government local authority level Household Projections for Wales, alongside the latest Local Housing Market Assessment (LHMA) and the Well-being plan for a plan area, will form a fundamental part of the evidence base for development plans. These should be considered together with other key evidence in relation to issues such as what the plan is seeking to achieve, links between homes and jobs, the need for affordable housing, Welsh language considerations and the deliverability of the plan, in order to identify an appropriate strategy for the delivery of housing in the plan area. Appropriate consideration must also begiven to the wider social, economic, environmental and cultural factors in a plan area in order to ensure the creation of sustainable places and cohesive communities.”
The Deposit Plan housing requirement is based on past delivery rates and does not take account of the above policy requirements. Whilst past build rates can be used as a benchmark for comparison, it is not appropriate for this to be used to set the future growth of the Authority Area. The Development Plans Manual states the following in this respect:
“5.55 Extrapolating forward past take-up rates for both jobs and homes over various time periods gives a factual representation of what has been delivered in the past. This approach can provide a useful benchmark against which to compare future employment and household growth, assuming previous conditions remained constant. However, this may have been constrained by contextual influences applicable at a previous point in time, for example global economic markets, or have led to undesirable outcomes which should not be repeated, such as a mismatch between the number of homes and jobs.
5.56 It will be important to understand the relationship between the past and the future direction of the plan, including such contextual circumstances. If there are/were limitations that hindered the ability to deliver growth previously, then until mechanisms are in place to address such matters this could have a bearing on future growth levels. Understanding the context within which delivery was/can be achieved will be important, particularly when considering a housing trajectory as this could influence the speed and increase delivery rates, or conversely result in a delivery cap until such matters are resolved.
5.57 Just relying on past build rates as the sole evidence base to quantify future employment and housing land requirements is not sufficient on its own. Additional evidence will be required to identify the scale of new jobs and homes necessary and the related land requirement.”
Contextual factors that mean utilising past build rates in setting future housing growth is inappropriate include:
• Utilising past build rates incorporates recession-based trends. This includes supressed build rates following the 2008 recession and more recently, reduced housing completions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the current cost of living crisis;
• Does not actively seek to address the area’s ageing demographic;
• Does not reflect or take account of the Vale of Glamorgan’s position within a Growth Area within Future Wales;
• Does not seek to leverage any of the investment into the region through the CCR City Deal;
• Conflicts with the Deposit Plan’s ambition in terms of Homes For All and the Economy – in that there has been no recent job growth in the Vale of Glamorgan delivered under the current LDP and there is a shortage of housing and affordable housing. Applying the same build rate over the RLDP plan period would compound these issues; and
• During the period considered, many people were prevented from forming new households due to a lack of mortgage finance, lower employment levels and reduced rates of housing completions. There is a considerable body of evidence to show that household formation will return to long term trends if housing is made available. Research by the former National Housing and Planning Advice Unit (NHPAU)4 found that cohorts who are less able to access home ownership earlier in their housing career due to “boom” or “recession” factors impacting on affordability are nevertheless able to “catch-up” later on – 80% of the gap at the age of 30 is “caught-up” by the age of 40. This finding supports the resumption of long-term household formation trends.
In short, just relying on past build rates as the sole evidence base to quantify future housing land requirements is not sufficient on its own, and that additional evidence is required to identify the scale of new homes necessary, with alternative scenarios considered rather than simply extrapolating previous delivery trends. That is directly relevant here. A housing requirement derived too closely from historic completion rates risks baking in past under-delivery rather than planning positively for future need.
That concern is reinforced by the updated Welsh Government evidence published after the RLDP’s preferred growth scenario was formulated. The latest 2025-based estimates of additional housing need identify newly arising need in Wales of between 7,800 and 9,300 additional homes per annum over the first five years, with a central estimate of around 8,700 homes per annum, alongside a separate estimate of existing unmet need of 9,400 homes. Whilst those are national figures and do not automatically translate into a single local housing target, they plainly point towards a materially higher level of need than has previously been assumed and strengthen the case for local planning authorities, particularly in growth areas, to revisit conservative housing requirements.
The updated 2022-based household projections point in the same direction. Welsh Government’s latest figures show that the number of households in Wales is projected to increase by 7.2% between mid-2022 and mid-2032, and that the Vale of Glamorgan is projected to experience one of the largest percentage increases in Wales, at 11.7%. The same release notes that the Vale is also amongst the authorities expected to experience some of the strongest private household population growth. In short, the latest demographic evidence does not support a low-growth or “business as usual” response for the Vale. It points the other way.
This sits uncomfortably with the Council’s own housing evidence. The Deposit Plan records that the Vale has the highest affordability ratio in Wales and a significant need for affordable homes. It further records that the LHMA identifies affordable housing need averaging 461 dwellings per annum over 15 years using the principal projections, rising to 502 dwellings per annum under the RLDP projection figures. The Deposit Plan also acknowledges that only a proportion of new households will require affordable housing because others will meet their needs through the market. That is important, because it underlines the need for both affordable and open market housing, and therefore for a higher overall housing requirement than the Plan currently proposes.
The Deposit Plan principally seeks to address issues of affordability through a blanket 50% affordable housing requirement on sites other than the Key Sites. Whilst we fully support the Council in looking to address issues of affordability, we consider that an increase in the housing requirement and subsequent increase in housing supply (both open market and affordable) should be pursued.
There is a broader strategic point as well. The Vale sits within the wider Cardiff housing market and the Deposit Plan itself recognises the strong migration relationship with Cardiff and the role that strategic collaboration should play in considering housing growth. Against that background, and having regard to the updated Welsh Government evidence, the present requirement of 7,890 dwellings does not appear sufficiently ambitious for a National Growth Area authority with strong migration inflows, severe affordability pressures and one of the highest projected household growth rates in Wales. In our view, the Plan should test a higher housing requirement through examination.
A higher growth rate, such as the PG-5Y scenario or higher should be adopted to better align housing and job growth and redress socio economic trends. The likelihood of this of level of growth occurring is even greater in the context of the ambition and funding available to support the City Deal. However, in seeking to deliver the economic vision for the area, it is important to ensure that economic growth is not constrained by a lack of land (for either housing or employment).
Whilst this is higher than past build rates, it should be noted that build rates are closely related to the availability of deliverable sites; therefore, the allocation of sufficient housing land in the RLDP would go a long way to increasing delivery. Current delivery rates have been supressed by wider socio economic trends and reliance within the existing LDP on large strategic sites (i.e. Barry Waterfront). Basing the RLDP Growth Option on past delivery would therefore result in an increase in the number of suppressed households. There is no rationale or justification to set future housing need by reference solely to past delivery rates.
The key point for soundness is therefore a simple one. The Development Plans Manual requires a housing requirement to be grounded in a broad evidence base and not simply in past completion trends. The latest demographic and housing need evidence now available points towards stronger growth pressure than that reflected in Policy SP6. In those circumstances, retaining the current requirement without revisiting it would not, in our view, be consistent with the Development Plans Manual or with a genuinely evidence-led plan-making exercise.
The Council’s own evidence supports the use of a 4% household-to-dwelling conversion factor. The LHMA states that the RLDP preferred growth scenario assumes growth of 7,586 households, which equates to 7,890 dwellings once vacancy rates are applied, effectively applying a 4% uplift in practice. That approach is also consistent with the adopted Vale of Glamorgan LDP, which expressly applied a
1.04 household-to-dwelling conversion ratio in deriving part of its housing requirement. In those circumstances, and absent any robust local evidence justifying a different factor, it is entirely appropriate to apply the Development Plans Manual baseline uplift of 4% to any updated household-led requirement. On that basis, a requirement of 9,623 households would convert to 10,008 dwellings, which is around 26.8% above the 7,890 dwellings currently sought under Policy SP6 and further underlines that the Deposit RLDP is not sufficiently ambitious in housing terms.Accordingly, Policy SP6 should be amended to provide for a higher housing requirement. The precise figure is ultimately a matter for examination, but the current requirement is too low, too closely tied to past build rates, and insufficiently responsive to updated Welsh Government projections and housing need evidence. A higher requirement would also require a broader and more resilient supply portfolio, which in turn strengthens the case for additional deliverable sites in sustainable settlements such as St Nicholas.
Policy SP6 – Flexibility, housing land supply and trajectory Position: Object
Barratt Redrow also objects to the level of flexibility embedded within Policy SP6 and raises concern regarding the resilience of the housing land supply and the robustness of the housing trajectory.
The Development Plans Manual is clear that housing supply is the housing requirement plus a flexibility allowance. It further states that it will be extremely rare for all sites identified in a plan to come forward within the timescales anticipated, and that a development plan will not be effective if it cannot accommodate changing circumstances. For that reason, a flexibility allowance must be embedded into the plan. Whilst the Manual says that 10% may be a starting point, it also makes clear that the level of flexibility is for each authority to determine based on local issues and that any chosen level must be robustly evidenced.
In our view, a 10% flexibility allowance is not sufficient in the context of this Plan. The Deposit Plan’s housing provision of 8,660 dwellings is made up of 3,837 dwellings from the existing land supply, 3,520 dwellings on allocated sites and 1,303 dwellings from windfalls. The Council’s housing land supply paper then shows that the allocation component itself includes 959 dwellings on rolled-forward LDP sites, 2,278 dwellings on key housing allocations, 122 dwellings on affordable housing-led sites and 161 dwellings on other allocations. That is a relatively exposed and finely balanced supply portfolio.
The resilience issue is due to a substantial element of the supply depends on a relatively small number of key sites, a significant rolled-forward component, and a large windfall assumption. The Development Plans Manual states that rolled-forward allocations require careful justification, that there must be a substantial change in circumstances to demonstrate such sites can be delivered and justify being included again, and that clear evidence will be required that those sites can be delivered. That is a demanding test, as it should be. In our view, the Plan’s reliance on rolled-forward sites and key sites means that a modest flexibility allowance of 10% does not provide a sufficient margin of safety.
The housing trajectory also warrants closer scrutiny. The Development Plans Manual describes the housing trajectory as the key mechanism for demonstrating how all sites will be delivered in the identified timescales throughout the whole plan period. It states that lead-in times for larger sites, inter-relationships between sites, constraints, infrastructure timing and assumptions for both large and small windfalls must all be taken into account. It also requires trajectories to provide a steady flow of sites through the plan period and not to be unduly loaded towards the end of the period.
Against that benchmark, there is a legitimate question over whether the RLDP trajectory is sufficiently robust. The Council’s own housing land supply paper records stakeholder concerns that the trajectory shows a significant step change in delivery above previous rates, that there is too great a reliance on key sites, and that the assumed timescales for pre-application work, application determination and discharge of conditions are too short. The consultation summary specifically records concern that delivery rises from around 400 to 500 dwellings per annum in the early monitored years to around 1,000 dwellings per annum by 2027/28, and that this represents a marked and pronounced step change. Those are not peripheral issues; they go directly to the credibility and resilience of the trajectory.
The same background paper also confirms that over 25% of the Plan’s total provision is attributed to key sites. Again, that does not make the Plan unsound in itself, but it does mean the trajectory and flexibility allowance need to be particularly robust. In our view, the current Plan does not yet demonstrate that level of resilience. The delivery assumptions may prove achievable, but the point for examination is that they require close scrutiny and should not simply be accepted at face value, particularly when the Development Plans Manual emphasises realism, flexibility and steady delivery through the full plan period.
There is also a concern about the windfall component. The Council’s evidence assumes delivery of 1,303 dwellings from large and small windfall developments over the lifetime of the plan. The Development Plans Manual accepts that windfalls can form part of supply, but it also requires the assumptions behind them to be evidenced and scrutinised. Here, the windfall figure is material, not marginal. That is another reason why the resilience of the identified allocation portfolio matters so much. Where a plan is relying on rolled-forward sites, key sites and substantial windfalls all at once, there is a stronger case for a higher flexibility allowance and for a broader pool of deliverable sites.
In our view, the sounder approach would be to increase the flexibility allowance from 10% to 15% and broaden the supply base through the inclusion of additional sustainable and deliverable sites. That would better reflect the Development Plans Manual’s requirement for plans to remain effective in the face of delay and changing circumstances, and it would reduce the risk of the RLDP becoming over-dependent on a narrow set of sites and optimistic delivery assumptions. It would also be entirely consistent with wider Welsh plan-making practice, where flexibility allowances above 10% have been accepted where local circumstances justify it. By way of example, Flintshire’s adopted LDP applies a flexibility allowance of over 13%, while Bridgend’s recently adopted RLDP provides for a 14% flexibility allowance following examination. Against that background, and having regard to the Vale RLDP’s reliance on key sites, rolled-forward allocations, a substantial windfall component and a stepped housing trajectory, a 15% allowance is justified here as a proportionate and robust response to the particular delivery risks of this Plan.This point also links directly back to St Nicholas. If the Plan is to be made sound, it should not rely so heavily on a small number of large, longer-lead sites and on a substantial windfall allowance. It should include a broader range of deliverable sites capable of contributing earlier and more reliably to the housing trajectory. A sustainable, mixed-tenure site at St Nicholas would assist in precisely that respect by diversifying the supply portfolio and improving resilience.
Policy SP7 – Affordable Housing Provision Position: Support in principle / Object in part
Barratt Redrow supports the objective of delivering affordable housing and agrees that this is one of the key issues the RLDP must address. Policy SP7 is therefore supported in principle. However, the policy should be read in conjunction with a more ambitious overall housing strategy, because affordable housing delivery cannot sensibly be divorced from the wider question of total supply.
The Deposit Plan is clear that the delivery of affordable housing is a key objective of the RLDP and that the strength of the Vale’s housing market has resulted in many local people experiencing difficulties in purchasing suitable housing on the open market. Barratt Redrow supports that objective in principle. The policy also correctly identifies that a mix of affordable housing will be required, with reference to the LHMA, and that this should include a range of tenures, types and sizes of homes. That said, the wording of Policy SP7 lacks sufficient clarity. In particular, the reference to the affordable housing mix being “informed” by the LHMA is ambiguous. It is unclear whether the LHMA is intended to provide a broad evidence base and starting point for negotiation, or whether the Council expects schemes to replicate that mix as a fixed requirement. In our view, the policy should be clarified so that the LHMA is expressly treated as a guiding framework rather than a prescriptive formula, with the final tenure mix, type and size of affordable provision being determined having regard to site-specific circumstances, up-to-date evidence, viability and deliverability.The LHMA is highly relevant here. It explains that affordable need is no longer confined to traditional social rented housing and that current economic conditions have squeezed many households out of both home ownership and the private rented sector, creating additional need for intermediate rent and low-cost home ownership products. It also notes that an ongoing supply of new build properties remains important to the operation of assisted home ownership products in the Vale.
That evidence is important because it confirms there is a need for both affordable and open market housing. The market sector is not separate from the affordable housing challenge; it is part of how that challenge is addressed. The LHMA also makes clear that only a proportion of new households will require affordable housing because others will meet their needs through the market. This is another reason why the overall housing requirement matters so much.
There is also a more local point relevant to St Nicholas. The LHMA identifies St Nicholas & Llancarfan as a distinct housing market area and shows need arising there across tenures. It is therefore not correct to approach St Nicholas on the basis that only one tenure or one product type is needed. The evidence points to a requirement for a broader mix.
The Deposit Plan itself supports that conclusion. It acknowledges that, in meeting Policy SP7, a range of affordable tenures, types and sizes of homes will be required. It also records that the Council will seek to secure an appropriate level and mix of affordable housing in all proposed residential developments.
In our view, the main issue with Policy SP7 is therefore not its objective, but the fact that the rest of the strategy is not sufficiently ambitious to support it. The Plan cannot identify very substantial affordable need and then pursue a relatively low overall housing requirement combined with a narrow rural growth model. A sound approach would be to increase the overall housing provision and broaden the pool of sustainable and deliverable mixed-tenure sites so that affordable housing delivery through the planning system can be maximised. St Nicholas should form part of that response.
Policy SP8 – Affordable Housing Requirements Position: Support in principle / Object in part
Barratt Redrow supports the principle that residential development should contribute towards affordable housing need. However, there are concerns about how Policy SP8 interacts with the rest of the strategy, especially outside the Strategic Growth Area.
The Deposit Plan confirms that, within Primary and Minor Rural Settlements, new development will generally be required to provide 40% affordable housing. It also confirms that outside delineated settlement boundaries proposals for additional housing will be strictly controlled and limited to affordable housing exception sites or housing in support of rural enterprises. The Plan then layers on the separate affordable housing-led model under Policy HG4, where a minimum of 50% affordable housing is required.
In principle, Barratt Redrow has no issue with seeking ambitious affordable housing delivery where supported by viability evidence. The concern is that the overall strategy becomes too rigid when SP8 is read alongside SP2, SP3, HG4 and other potentially onerous policy requirements, including Policy CC1. In practice, this risks leaving sustainable settlements such as St Nicholas with very little scope to contribute to general housing delivery unless schemes meet a highly demanding affordable-led model. That is not a balanced or flexible way to plan for rural communities. It also gives rise to a lack of clarity between Policies SP7 and SP8 which should be addressed. Policy SP7 states that the mix of affordable housing to be delivered over the plan period will be “informed” by the LHMA, waiting list data and the Older Persons Housing Strategy, but it is unclear whether that is intended simply as a starting point for negotiation or whether the Council expects the identified mix to be applied more prescriptively. By contrast, Policy SP8 expressly provides greater flexibility: it states that affordable housing will be negotiated on a site-by-site basis having regard to evidenced viability, that the exact mix of affordable housing will be considered on a case-by-case basis having regard to the Council’s latest needs evidence, and that where proven economic circumstances affect delivery the Council may negotiate the level, type, tenure and nature of provision. In our view, those two policies should be aligned. That would better reflect Planning Policy Wales, which requires planning authorities to develop evidence-based market and affordable housing policies, but also makes clear that affordable housing targets and policy expectations must take account of deliverability and viability considerations. In that context, Policy SP7 should be clarified so that the LHMA and related evidence are expressly treated as guiding the starting point for discussions on mix, rather than imposing a fixed outcome irrespective of site-specific circumstances, technical constraints, abnormal costs or viability. That is especially important given the Deposit Plan’s blanket affordable housing percentages across the Vale and the cumulative effect of other policy requirements, which may affect the deliverability of particular allocations and should therefore be capable of being addressed on a site-by-site basis.The Deposit Plan recognises that an appropriate mix of affordable housing will be required, and that in the rural Vale there is a desire for smaller market homes as well as affordable homes. It also accepts that affordable housing delivery may be lower than anticipated because of viability constraints and that, where proven economic circumstances affect delivery, the Council may negotiate the level, type, tenure and nature of provision. This should feed through into a more flexible strategy overall. In particular, the Plan should not be read or applied in a way that suppresses the delivery of mixed-tenure schemes in sustainable rural settlements where those schemes can contribute both market and affordable housing and support local services. That is especially so given the evidence in the LHMA that a range of tenures is required and that intermediate and low-cost home ownership products are an increasingly important part of the housing response.
8. Policy HG1 / Housing Allocations and overall supply portfolio Position: Comment / Object in part
Barratt Redrow does not object in principle to the Council allocating key sites and other strategic locations. However, there remains a significant concern that the Plan is overly reliant on a relatively narrow supply portfolio.
The Deposit Plan confirms that the allocation component of supply comprises 2,278 dwellings on key sites, 959 dwellings on rolled forward sites, 161 dwellings on new housing allocations and 122 dwellings on affordable housing-led sites. It also confirms that 1,303 dwellings are expected from windfalls. That means a large proportion of the Plan’s supply is tied up either in a small number of large sites, historic carry-over, or a substantial assumption about unallocated windfall delivery.
Our earlier Preferred Strategy reps raised exactly this issue and those points should all be carried forward. In particular:
• the Plan is overly reliant on a small number of key sites;
• medium-sized sites in sustainable locations can provide resilience to the housing trajectory;
• windfalls account for a significant proportion of the supply and provide less certainty over geographical distribution and delivery; and
• rolled forward allocations require careful justification if they are to be relied upon as part of the plan’s effective provision.
The Deposit Plan’s own figures support that concern. It states that only a small proportion of development is likely to take place outside of the Strategic Growth Area, with some of this reflecting permissions granted under the adopted strategy. It also shows that the total housing provision attributable to Minor Rural Settlements and Primary Settlements outside the Strategic Growth Area is only 390 dwellings. In our view that is too low, particularly given the evidence that some of those settlements perform relatively well and can help diversify the supply portfolio.
Based on the revised RLDP Delivery Agreement, should there be no further slippage the RLDP will be adopted in September 2027 with there being some 7 years before the end of the plan period (of 2034) post-adoption. There may of course be some slippage in the adoption of the RLDP. We therefore would query whether the quantum of homes proposed on the larger Key Sites can realistically be delivered within the plan period.
The following conclusions of Lichfield’s Start to Finish (2nd Edition, Feb 2020) research are relevant in this respect:
• From the date at which an outline application is validated, the average figures can be 5.0-8.4 years for the first home to be delivered.
• If a scheme of more than 500 dwellings has an outline permission, then on average it delivers its first home in circa 3 years.
• The average build out rate of sites between 500-999 dwellings is 68 homes per annum and 107 homes per annum for sites between 1,000 and 1,499 dwellings.
All of the Key Sites have no outline application having been submitted. Given the revocation of TAN 1 and Welsh Government’s emphasis on a plan led system, the very earliest that the Key Sites could have outline permission in place would be post-adoption of the plan limiting its housing land supply contribution within the early years of the plan period. Allowing for an appropriate amount of time to secure necessary permissions, consents and infrastructure delivery, the Key Sites’ contribution to housing supply within the plan period would fall significantly below the quantum currently assumed in the Preferred Strategy. In that context, it is all the more important that sustainable and deliverable medium-sized sites are included in the Plan where appropriate. Again, St Nicholas is an obvious example.
In short, the issue is not that key sites should not exist. It is that the current portfolio is not broad enough and not resilient enough. The Plan should be strengthened through the inclusion of additional medium-sized, sustainable allocations capable of delivery within the plan period.
Policy HG4 – Rural Affordable Housing Led Sites Position: Support in principle / Object in part
Barratt Redrow supports the principle of identifying rural affordable housing-led sites. It is entirely appropriate that the RLDP seeks to respond to local housing need in rural communities and to secure affordable provision in settlements where opportunities may otherwise be more limited.
However, Policy HG4 also illustrates the broader weakness in the Plan’s current rural strategy. The Deposit Plan allocates four affordable housing-led sites at Colwinston, Aberthin, Wick and Fferm Goch, totalling 122 dwellings. It also requires applicants to demonstrate how both the market and affordable housing on those sites will meet local housing needs in terms of tenure, type and size, so that a range of housing is delivered to meet different groups in the community. The supporting text then expressly notes that Planning Policy Wales requires a sufficient number of sites suitable for the full range of housing types, and that in the rural Vale there is demand for smaller market homes as well as affordable homes.
Those are important statements and, in our view, they assist the case being made here. They show that the Council itself accepts that rural settlements need a range and choice of homes, not just affordable housing in isolation. They also show that some open market housing in rural locations is not only acceptable, but in fact part of how mixed communities and affordable delivery are achieved.
The problem is that the strategy remains too narrow in how it applies that logic. The Plan effectively says that outside the Strategic Growth Area, growth should generally be confined to affordable-led schemes with a minimum 50% affordable requirement, and anything below that will not be supported. In our view that is too rigid and may well suppress otherwise sustainable and beneficial development, particularly where sites are capable of delivering a strong policy-compliant affordable contribution but not necessarily the precise affordable-led model the Council has chosen.
We continue to raise concerns that a blanket 50% affordable requirement could create deliverability issues, including reliance on complex developer/RSL arrangements and a level of uncertainty around funding and market conditions. Without repeating every operational point, the central planning concern remains valid: the strategy should not be so rigid that it prevents settlements from growing and adapting in a sustainable way. This is especially the case given the ever more challenging delivery context set by increasingly onerous policy requirements.
St Nicholas is relevant here because it demonstrates the missed opportunity in the current approach. The village is expressly identified by the Council as one of the smaller rural settlements with a primary school serving a wider catchment area. It performs well in the settlement appraisal and is the sort of place where a sensitive mixed-tenure allocation could help support local services, provide both market and affordable housing, and diversify the Plan’s supply. In our view, the omission of St Nicholas from the rural housing strategy is not justified by the evidence currently before the Council.
Policy CC1 – Residential Operational Net Zero Carbon Development Position: Object
Barratt Redrow supports the wider objective of improving the energy performance of new homes and reducing carbon emissions from development. However, Policy CC1 in its current form gives rise to a number of concerns regarding consistency with national standards, deliverability, viability and practical implementation. The Deposit Plan is explicit that Policy CC1 is intended to require new dwellings to exceed current Building Regulations standards. Welsh Government’s own sustainable buildings guidance confirms that Building Regulations set mandatory standards for the design and construction of buildings, including environmental performance. In our view, that raises a legitimate question as to whether an additional local policy layer of this kind is necessary or proportionate, particularly where it risks inconsistency across local planning authorities and may duplicate, or move ahead of, the national regulatory framework.
There is also a need for greater precision in the policy wording itself. As drafted, Policy CC1 requires development to provide on-site renewable electricity generation equivalent to at least the annual energy consumption of the development, assessed through an energy performance model. The supporting text explains that the relevant metric is Energy Use Intensity, which measures all energy consumed by the building. If the policy approach is to be progressed, the policy should make clear that compliance relates only to regulated energy use, consistent with Building Regulations methodology. Developers can influence the performance of the building fabric and regulated building services, but they cannot control future occupant behaviour, appliance use, plug loads or other forms of unregulated energy demand. Without that clarification, there is a risk that the policy extends beyond matters that can reasonably and consistently be secured through the planning process.
A further issue is that the policy should expressly allow its requirements to fall away, or be treated as satisfied, where national Building Regulations subsequently catch up with or exceed the standards sought under Policy CC1, or where the national regime adopts a different but equivalent methodology. Without such a safeguard, there is a real risk that the RLDP imposes outdated or duplicative requirements later in the plan period, which would not only create unnecessary complexity but could also compromise the delivery of much-needed housing. That concern is heightened by the cumulative policy burden elsewhere in the Plan, including affordable housing, open space, placemaking, green infrastructure and other low carbon requirements. In our view, the Council should therefore demonstrate, through its viability work, that the housing allocations in Policy HG1 are capable of absorbing the cumulative costs of Policy CC1 alongside the wider requirements of the RLDP.
Clarification is also required in relation to the fallback Project Zero Fund contribution. The Deposit Plan states that where it is not technically feasible to provide a policy-compliant level of renewable energy on site, the residual energy is to be offset through an appropriate contribution to the Council’s Project Zero Fund “as far as economic viability allows”, with further detail to be provided in SPG. In our view, that is presently too uncertain. The policy should make clear how any such contribution will be calculated, what assumptions will be used, what evidence will be required, and how viability will be taken into account. These are all matters which go directly to deliverability and should not be left entirely to post-adoption guidance.
In summary, Building Regulations are sufficient to achieve Welsh Government’s objectives for improving energy efficiency and delivering net-zero carbon development. Additional local policy requirements risk creating inconsistency across Local Planning Authorities and may exceed what is necessary to align with national policy. If a local approach is to be taken, as a minimum, Policy CC1 should be amended so that: (i) it applies only to regulated energy use; (ii) its requirements fall away, or are deemed satisfied, where Building Regulations subsequently meet or exceed them or adopt an alternative national methodology; and (iii) the policy and supporting text provide a clearer framework for viability, Project Zero contributions and practical implementation.
Policy CI1 – Open Space Provision
Position: Support in principle / Object in part
Barratt Redrow supports the objective of ensuring that new development makes appropriate provision for open space and recreation. That is entirely consistent with good placemaking and with national policy support for healthy, inclusive and green environments. However, Policy CI1 as drafted is overly prescriptive and, in our view, requires amendment to provide greater flexibility and to better reflect local context and design-led principles.
The main concern is the way in which the policy translates the Fields in Trust benchmarks into a rigid per-dwelling requirement of 62.2 sq m per dwelling. The Deposit Plan itself recognises, at paragraph 6.233, that on-site provision should be design led rather than standards led, and that the type of provision should respond to local context and identified local need having regard to the Open Space Background Paper. That is an important and sensible acknowledgement. In our view, however, the policy wording pulls in the opposite direction by setting out what reads in practice as a uniform quantitative requirement. Fields in Trust guidance is ordinarily framed around population and typologies, to be applied strategically and flexibly, rather than as a blanket per-dwelling metric irrespective of scheme context, form and composition. A rigid application of the standard risks disproportionate land take, unnecessary design constraints and, ultimately, pressure on viability and delivery.
There is also concern regarding the separate requirement for an Open Space Strategy for all housing and commercial developments meeting the thresholds. In many cases, the provision of open space within a development will already be addressed through the Design and Access Statement, Green Infrastructure Statement and the overall layout and placemaking rationale of the scheme. We would therefore question whether a standalone Open Space Strategy is necessary in every case. In our view, the policy should be amended so that open space can be addressed through the principal design and green infrastructure material submitted with the application, unless there is a particular site-specific reason why a separate strategy is required. That would avoid unnecessary duplication without weakening the quality of assessment.
Change sought: amend Policy CI1 and supporting text to make clear that the benchmark standards are to be applied flexibly and strategically, having regard to site context, typology and local need, and that open space provision may be addressed through the Design and Access Statement and/or Green Infrastructure material rather than requiring a standalone Open Space Strategy in every case.
Policy SP4 – Placemaking
Position: Support in principle / Comment
Barratt Redrow supports Policy SP4 in principle. The emphasis on placemaking is fully consistent with Planning Policy Wales and with the Deposit Plan’s wider design-led approach to development. The policy framework rightly seeks to ensure that major development is shaped by the placemaking principles from the outset.
That said, the wording of the policy should better reflect the position already set out in the supporting text. Paragraph 6.34 of the Deposit Plan makes clear that the required Placemaking Statement should form part of the Design and Access Statement for most major planning applications. That is helpful and sensible. In our view, the policy itself should say the same thing expressly, so that there is no suggestion that applicants are expected to prepare a separate freestanding document in addition to the DAS.
Suggested wording amendment:
“Major development proposals must be supported by a Placemaking Statement, to be incorporated within the Design and Access Statement where one is required, demonstrating clearly how the proposal accords with the placemaking principles of the Plan.”
That amendment would improve clarity, avoid duplication and align the policy wording with paragraph
6.34 of the supporting text.
Policy SP5 – Creating Healthy and Inclusive Places and Spaces Position: Support in principle / Comment in part
Barratt Redrow supports the objective of creating healthy and inclusive places and spaces and agrees that health and well-being are legitimate and important planning considerations. The wider thrust of Policy SP5 is consistent with PPW’s placemaking agenda and with the Deposit Plan’s recognition that the built environment can have a significant influence on health outcomes.
However, there is a need to ensure that the assessment requirements under Policy SP5 are proportionate and do not create unnecessary cost and duplication. The policy requires all qualifying major development to undertake screening at pre-application stage and, for significant developments, a rapid Health Impact Assessment. The supporting text explains that a rapid HIA may involve literature review, stakeholder engagement and wider evidence gathering. In our view, whilst that may be appropriate for larger or more complex schemes, the policy should recognise more clearly that the health implications of development will often already be addressed through the Design and Access Statement, Placemaking Statement, Green Infrastructure material, Transport Assessment and related application documents. There is a risk that the current wording adds a further procedural burden, with associated cost implications, without always adding materially new value.
We therefore consider that the policy should be applied proportionately, with the checklist and any rapid HIA focused on developments where there is a realistic prospect of significant or complex health implications, rather than as a routine additional requirement in every qualifying case. The policy would also benefit from clarification that the conclusions of the screening/HIA can be incorporated into the main design and supporting statements submitted with the application, rather than requiring standalone reporting unless specifically justified by the scale or sensitivity of the proposal.
Change sought: amend Policy SP5 and/or its supporting text to confirm that health assessment requirements will be applied proportionately, and that the outcomes of the checklist or rapid HIA may be integrated within other application documents, including the Design and Access Statement, Placemaking Statement and Green Infrastructure material, unless a standalone report is specifically justified.
Policy CC2 – Presumption Against Demolition Position: Support in principle / Object in part
Barratt Redrow supports the broad objective of encouraging the repair, refurbishment, re-use and re-purposing of existing buildings where that represents the most sustainable outcome. The policy’s underlying intent, to avoid unnecessary loss of embodied carbon and encourage circular economy principles, is understood.
Nevertheless, Policy CC2 as drafted is overly onerous and risks giving rise to unintended consequences for deliverability. The policy establishes a strong presumption against demolition and requires extensive justification through either a Demolition Statement or an Energy Report / Whole Life Carbon Assessment. Whilst that may be appropriate in certain cases, a blanket presumption of this kind risks frustrating otherwise sustainable redevelopment proposals, including proposals involving poor quality farm buildings, obsolete structures, and buildings that are not well suited to modern standards of layout, accessibility, thermal performance or efficient land use. In some cases, insisting on retention or retrofit may not represent the most sustainable outcome overall.
There is also a tension with the wider objective of making the most effective and efficient use of land. Some buildings may be technically capable of retention, but only at disproportionate cost, with compromised design outcomes or reduced site efficiency. On previously developed or rural redevelopment sites alike, that could affect development timescales, viability and ultimately the ability to bring forward policy-compliant schemes. The policy does contain some flexibility through criteria 3 and 4, which recognise that a lower net carbon solution may in some circumstances arise from demolition and redevelopment. However, in our view, the overall wording still leans too heavily towards a presumption against demolition rather than a balanced assessment of the most sustainable whole-life outcome in each case.
The policy would therefore benefit from a more balanced formulation which supports retention and reuse where appropriate, but does not create a disproportionate barrier to demolition where redevelopment would deliver a better placemaking, operational carbon, viability or land-use outcome. That is particularly important in relation to sites containing redundant agricultural or rural buildings, and sites where retrofit would be impractical, inefficient or environmentally sub-optimal.
Change sought: amend Policy CC2 so that it supports the retention and re-use of existing buildings where feasible and sustainable, but allows demolition where this would deliver a more effective overall development outcome having regard to whole-life carbon, operational performance, design quality, viability, land efficiency and deliverability.
Land at St Nicholas / omission from the Deposit Plan Position: Object to omission
Barratt Redrow objects to the omission of land at St Nicholas from the Deposit Plan.
The case for St Nicholas is, in our view, strong and is rooted in the Council’s own evidence base. As already noted, the settlement performs strongly in the BP5 appraisal, the adopted LDP and current review both identify the role of minor rural settlements in supporting sustainable communities, and both the adopted LDP and the current Deposit Plan recognise the specific significance of St Nicholas as a village with a primary school serving a wider catchment area.
Deposit Plan Conclusion
Overall, Barratt Redrow is supportive of the Council’s continued work in preparing the RLDP and supports the objective of putting in place a robust, plan-led framework for growth in the Vale of Glamorgan. However, the Plan in its current form is not sufficiently ambitious and requires modification in order to be sound.
In particular:
• The Plan Period is too short. An extended plan period (and associated increase in housing requirement) is required to provide for at least ten years post adoption;
• the housing requirement under Policy SP6 is too low and is too closely tied to past build rates;
• the 10% flexibility allowance is not sufficient given the structure and risk profile of the supply;
• the Plan relies too heavily on key sites, rolled forward sites and windfalls;
• the strategy for settlements outside the Strategic Growth Area is too restrictive and does not properly reflect the evidence on bus-connected, serviceable and functionally linked settlements; and
• the omission of St Nicholas is not justified by the Council’s own evidence base.
The evidence before the Council supports a stronger role for St Nicholas. The adopted LDP and current BP5 review both recognise the role of Minor Rural Settlements in supporting sustainable rural communities and providing for moderate growth. The Deposit Plan itself acknowledges St Nicholas’ role as a settlement with a primary school serving a wider catchment area. The LHMA demonstrates that there is a need for a range of housing products and tenures, and the Deposit Plan itself accepts that rural areas require both affordable and market housing to meet local needs.
For those reasons, Barratt Redrow seeks amendments to Policies SP1, SP2, SP6, SP7, SP8 and HG4, together with a more flexible and resilient housing strategy overall, and the inclusion of land at St Nicholas as an appropriate and deliverable source of mixed-tenure housing growth within the RLDP period.
Candidate Site Register - Site ID 486
Land to the south of the A48 at St Nicholas (Site ID 486) is being promoted by Barratt Redrow for a residential-led development.
Stage 2 Candidate Site Assessment
The Council’s Stage 2 Candidate Site Assessment states:
“The development would have an adverse impact on the character and setting of the St Nicholas Conservation Area and would also be considered to represent an unacceptable intrusion in to the open countryside. Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map indicates that the site is Grade 3a agricultural land loss of this land would be contrary to national policy.”
The key issues raised are all capable of being overcome as part of the ongoing promotion of the site, as set out below:
Impact upon Character and Setting of the St Nicholas Conservation Area
Wessex Archaeology have prepared a Heritage Appraisal in support of the site’s development. This concludes that future development within the site would unlikely cause harm to the significance of the designated heritage assets if the development is in keeping with the surrounding built character.
The impact upon the character and setting of the St Nicholas Conservation Area is considered acceptable and the site is considered to be the best option to accommodate the growth of St Nicholas in a sensitive manner, particularly with regard to the following:
• The Site is located outside of the Conservation Area whereas other fields outside the settlement boundary (e.g. to the south of The Manor House) are within the Conservation Area;
• The Conservation Area covers the majority of St Nicholas and most options for the village’s growth would be within its setting;
• PPW Para. 6.5.22 advises that proposals should be tested against a Conservation Area Appraisal where they are available. The St Nicholas Conservation Area Appraisal does not identify any features or important characteristics on the candidate site; and
• The proposals for the site are being developed so that they are sensitively designed, in keeping with the surrounding built character and retain important landscape features and views beyond the site.
Countryside Impacts
The Urbanists have undertaken a Landscape and Visual Appraisal in support of the site’s development. It concludes that the site could be developed without causing unacceptable visual impacts on key receptors, the landscape character and types within the proposed site and its surrounds, with the inclusion of appropriate green infrastructure enhancement and mitigation.
The emerging proposals have been underpinned by existing landscape features, with green infrastructure areas and landscape edges proposed within and around the site. New parkland and amenity spaces, footpaths along with a network of sustainable drainage features are incorporated with tree planting proposed throughout. It is accordingly considered that the proposals will sit well within the receiving landscape with limited impacts beyond its immediate setting.
Agricultural Land Quality
Technical Advice Note (TAN) 6 notes that agricultural land within Grades 1, 2, and 3a are considered to be the “most flexible, productive and efficient land in terms of output”. Paragraph 3.59 of PPW sets out the search sequence when considering allocating land within LDPs stating that poorer quality agricultural land should be considered ahead of higher quality land. Accordingly, whilst the site comprises Grade 3a agricultural land quality based on the currently available survey data, it comprises the poorest quality of other options for growth around St Nicholas. There is an overriding need for housing growth as part of the preparation of the RLDP and the allocation of the site would accord with the search sequence set out in PPW.
As the proposals for the site develop further, there is scope to include allotments/community growing areas and open space areas allowing much of the very good quality soils to be retained. The soils that are retained on site in the open spaces and gardens will still be able to provide various ecosystem functions, particularly in the support of biodiversity, and water and carbon storage.
Appendix 2 – Summary of Assessment
We comment on the Council’s Summary of Assessment as follows:
• Developer Interest: should be amended from red to green. The site is under single positive control by Barratt Redrow who have a track record of successfully developing residential-led sites within the Vale of Glamorgan.
• Historic Environment: should be amended from red to green. The site and proposal’s potential impact upon the historic environment is outlined within the candidate site submission and earlier within these representations as being acceptable.
• Special Landscape Area and Glamorgan Heritage Coast Designations: should be amended from red to green. The Urbanists have undertaken a Landscape and Visual Appraisal in support of the site’s development. It concludes that the site could be developed without causing unacceptable visual impacts on these designations.
• Environmental & Physical Constraints Conclusions: should be amended from red to green. The site is not subject to any environmental or physical constraints which cannot be accommodated through the sensitive design approach adopted by Barrat Redrow.
• Access/proximity to services and facilities conclusions: should be amended from amber to green. The Transport Appraisal which formed part of the candidate site submission evidences the site’s accessibility and proximity to services and facilities.
• Connectivity and Capacity: should be amended from red to green. The candidate site submission demonstrates the site’s capacity for the quantum of development proposed and its connectivity to the settlement and other key locations in the Vale of Glamorgan via sustainable transport modes.
• Climate Change: should be amended from red to green. The site is in a sustainable location, with a number of local facilities including a bus stop, a school, health and wellbeing facilities all within a short walk from the site as well as the retail facilities situated within acceptable cycling distances site and highly accessible by public transport. Overall, the accessible location of the development will mean that there is a reduced need for private car journeys, in turn reducing overall pollution. The development will be supported by a Travel Plan in favour of sustainable modes of travel. Moreover, the dwellings will be built to Part L 2025 which means the new homes will produce reduced levels of CO2.
• Placemaking Character and Place: should be amended from red to green. The proposals comply with the National Sustainable Placemaking Outcomes, as set out within the Appraisal which formed part of the candidate site submission.
• Suitable for Further Consideration: should be amended from red to green for the reasons set out below and within the candidate site submission.
Suitability for Allocation and Key Benefits
For the sake of brevity, we do not intend to repeat the considerable and detailed content of the Candidate Site Submission here. The previously submitted information however contained substantial information to support the allocation of the site as well as a detailed sustainability and connectivity appraisal undertaken in accordance with PPW.
In summary, the submission demonstrated that the site is suitable for allocation within the Council’s RLDP and its inclusion would help contribute to the overall soundness of the emerging Plan. The proposed site fully accords with National Sustainable Placemaking Outcomes and Sustainable Transport Hierarchy set out in PPW and the site is considered to be deliverable and viable.
The proposed development of the site would deliver the following key benefits:
• Delivering a range and choice of housing (including a proportion of affordable housing) in a sustainable location on a deliverable site which can contribute towards the resilience of the RLDP’s housing trajectory and the effectiveness of the Plan;
• The proposals would support the vibrancy of St Nicholas with the site being closely related to the settlement and capable of integrating effectively with the settlement to the benefit of existing and proposed residents;
• The provision of multi-functional open space – including amenity space for residents, play spaces, potential for local growing spaces, nature walks, sustainable drainage and wildlife habitats to achieve biodiversity enhancements;
• Encouraging and supporting active travel with cleaner, greener travel choices and reduced out commuting being located close to public transport provision;
• Good quality open spaces with significant biodiversity benefits (delivering a biodiversity enhancement), surface water resilience and efficient energy, water and communications infrastructure;
• Economic benefits – including that the proposed development is expected to:
o Support the employment of 434 people;
o Create circa £1,687,420 in additional tax, including £158,124 in council tax revenue for the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
It is accordingly concluded that allocation of the site would contribute to the soundness of the RLDP and would accord with the well-being goals specified in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
Barratt Redrow, Highlight Planning and the project team are keen to work collaboratively with the Council and other parties to demonstrate the suitability of the land for development and its identification as an allocation in the RLDP.
I trust the above representations assist in the Council’s preparation of the RLDP. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss the above matters with the Council if that would be helpful. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us.

Introduction
These representations are provided on behalf of Barratt Redrow in respect of the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s consultation on the Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) Deposit Plan and Candidate Site Register. They should be read in conjunction with the enclosed completed Comments Forms.
Barratt Redrow are promoting land at St Nicholas (Site ID 486) for a residential-led development of up to 140 modern, energy efficient homes, 40% of which are currently proposed to be affordable.
Barratt Redrow is generally supportive of the Council’s work in preparing the RLDP. The preparation of an up-to-date development plan for the Vale is plainly important and the Council is to be supported in progressing the RLDP through to Deposit stage. The principle of a plan-led strategy, rooted in settlement evidence, affordable housing need and sustainable transport objectives, is endorsed. That is particularly important in the current plan-led Welsh planning context.
That said, in its current form the Deposit RLDP is not sufficiently ambitious and, in our view, requires a number of important changes in order to ensure soundness. The key concerns relate to the overall housing requirement, the level of flexibility built into the strategy, the degree of reliance placed on key sites, windfalls and rolled forward supply, the unduly restrictive approach taken to sustainable settlements outside of the Strategic Growth Area and the introduction of onerous policies that when considered together could impact deliverability. Those issues are especially relevant to St Nicholas, which the Council’s own evidence identifies as one of the better performing Minor Rural Settlements and one which has an established role in supporting a sustainable rural community.
The Council’s own evidence base supports a stronger role for St Nicholas than the Deposit Plan currently allows. It demonstrates that proportionate growth in settlements such as St Nicholas is not a departure from the Council’s established strategy; it is consistent with it. The Deposit RLDP should be amended so that it better reflects both national policy and the Council’s own evidence, and in particular so that sustainable and deliverable opportunities such as St Nicholas are able to make an appropriate contribution to meeting the Vale’s housing needs.
The remainder of these representations address the specific policies of the Deposit Plan.
Deposit Plan Plan Period Position: Object
Based on the Development Plans Manual, when a plan is adopted, there should be at least 10 years of the plan period remaining.
On the Council’s current timetable, adoption is only anticipated for August/September 2027, and those post-Deposit stages are expressly identified in the Delivery Agreement as indicative, because they depend on external factors including the number of representations received and the examination process. The Deposit Plan runs only to 2036. That means that, even if the Council hits its best-case programme and adopts in September 2027, the Plan would have only about 8 years and 3 months left to run. That is already below the DPM expectation of at least 10 years remaining at adoption. Any slippage would make that position worse.
Based on the current timetable, an end date of 2038 (with associated increase in housing requirement) would therefore ensure a sound plan.
Policy SP1 – Sustainable Growth Strategy Position: Comment / Object in part
Barratt Redrow supports the broad objective of pursuing a sustainable growth strategy and agrees that growth should be directed towards the most sustainable locations. The emphasis on public transport connectivity, access to services and the need to align housing growth with wider regional aspirations is supported in principle. The Deposit Plan’s summary of Future Wales correctly notes that the Vale lies within the Cardiff, Newport and the Valleys National Growth Area and that Local Development Plans should recognise this area as the focus for strategic economic and housing growth, services and facilities, and transport infrastructure. The Plan also correctly highlights Future Wales’ wider outcomes, including vibrant rural places with access to homes, jobs and services.
Our concern is that the strategy as drafted is not sufficiently nuanced and, in practice, it places too much weight on the Strategic Growth Areas and not enough weight on sustainable settlements outside it. In doing so, it risks overlooking villages which perform well against the Council’s own settlement evidence and which can accommodate proportionate growth in a highly sustainable way. St Nicholas is a clear example of that. The earlier Barratt David Wilson Homes representations made this point and it remains equally relevant now: the strategy should not be read as favouring rail-served locations to the exclusion of settlements with strong bus accessibility and established local services.
This is important because the Council’s own evidence does not justify such a narrow interpretation of sustainable transport. The BP5 methodology was adapted specifically to better appreciate the role and function of settlements in the Vale, including their relationship to key services and facilities. In other words, the Council has already recognised in its evidence base that sustainability in the Vale cannot sensibly be reduced to rail access alone.
St Nicholas benefits from strong bus connectivity and a strategic relationship to Cardiff and other settlements. Supporting population growth in proximity to regular bus services can itself help reinforce the viability of those routes. Para 3.45 of PPW states the following in respect of relationships beyond the Council’s administrative area:
“The evidence to identify suitable areas and sites for development should not be confined by local authority boundaries. It should reflect realities like housing markets, travel to work areas, retail catchments and the nature of activity or development itself.” (emphasis added)
Cardiff is by far the greatest attractor in terms of commuting destination, as shown in the below Census data for the Vale of Glamorgan:
St Nicholas is 16 minutes from Cardiff via bus. Not all people will want to live in towns (as recognised by the Council in their response to the draft NDF). The Spatial Option is depicted on Page 28 of the Spatial Options Background Paper (June 2023). This fails to show St Nicholas as a settlement with frequent bus connectivity despite it being served by excellent bus service provision.
Future Wales supports development which aligns with the South East Wales Metro which includes bus infrastructure and services as well as the rail network. The Deposit Plan’s focus on settlements with railway stations ignores settlements with bus service provision such as St Nicholas where travel via bus is an attractive, sustainable and convenient option for residents. For example, the travel time on bus to Cardiff from St Nicholas is 15 minutes, whereas the travel time from Rhoose to Cardiff via train is over double the time at 36 minutes.
Settlements such as St Nicholas will require additional growth over the coming years in order to contribute to their vibrancy and support existing services and facilities such as the local school and bus service. That remains a legitimate and important planning point. Future Wales, as summarised in the Deposit Plan, requires local authorities to maximise opportunities arising from public transport investment and to plan for growth that supports sustainable connectivity more generally, not simply around rail stations.
There is therefore a soundness issue here. The Council’s own evidence and national policy context support a strategy that captures sustainable bus-connected settlements as well as rail-served settlements. St Nicholas should be expressly recognised as one of those locations. If the Council is seeking to direct development to places “best served by public transport connectivity and [which] offer a good range of services and facilities”, then it should ensure that this is applied consistently to settlements such as St Nicholas rather than in a way that, in practice, privileges only a narrow subset of locations.
For that reason, Policy SP1 should be amended to make clearer that sustainable settlements outside the Strategic Growth Area, where there is good bus connectivity, local facilities and a clear functional relationship with wider employment and service centres, are capable of accommodating proportionate growth. That change would make the strategy more aligned with the evidence base and would support a more robust and resilient pattern of housing delivery.
Policy SP2 – Settlement Hierarchy Position: Object
Barratt Redrow objects to Policy SP2 in its current form.
The Council’s own evidence shows that St Nicholas performs strongly as a Minor Rural Settlement. It scored 39 points and ranked 5th out of 21 Minor Rural Settlements within the Settlement Appraisal Background Paper. It is one of the few settlements in this tier with a school in the village and that its strategic position and public transport accessibility lend support to it being treated as a sustainable settlement capable of accommodating further growth.
That broader conclusion is reinforced by the Deposit Plan itself. Paragraph 6.16 expressly identifies St Nicholas as one of the smaller rural settlements which contains a primary school serving a wider catchment area. The Plan goes on to recognise that, due to the functional links between rural settlements, it is essential to ensure that existing services and facilities are safeguarded, supported or enhanced where appropriate. Those are helpful and important acknowledgements.
However, notwithstanding that evidence, the policy framework remains highly restrictive. The Deposit Plan states that, in Minor Rural Settlements, general market housing will be limited to infill and conversion opportunities within the settlement boundary, whilst any more meaningful growth outside the Strategic Growth Area is essentially restricted to small scale affordable housing-led schemes with a minimum 50% affordable housing requirement. In our view that is too blunt an approach and is not justified by the evidence.
The reason this matters is because the Council’s own historic and current evidence points in the opposite direction. BP5 explains that the adopted LDP provided for moderate growth in Minor Rural Settlements to help meet local housing need and support existing local services. The adopted LDP Written Statement similarly states that minor rural settlements such as St Nicholas play an important role in underpinning sustainable rural communities and that there is a need for some moderate growth in these settlements. The earlier strategy therefore recognised that such locations could accommodate growth without undermining their character or function. The successful development of by Redrow of Cae Newydd, St Nicholas provides an example of how new residential development can successfully integrate into a Minor Rural Settlement.
In our view the current Deposit strategy has moved too far away from that balanced position. The Plan now acknowledges the sustainability credentials of St Nicholas but does not allow those credentials to translate into an appropriate development role. That disconnect between the evidence and the policy response is one of the main reasons why the Plan, as drafted, is not sound.
Accordingly, Policy SP2 should be amended. At the very least, it should be recast so that settlements such as St Nicholas are not treated as locations where only very limited growth can occur. A more proportionate and evidence-led approach would be to allow moderate mixed-tenure growth in the more sustainable Minor Rural Settlements, where this is supported by site-specific evidence and good placemaking. That would better reflect both the Council’s own settlement appraisal and the adopted LDP approach that preceded it. As drafted, the Plan expects a great deal from a very limited rural supply offer. It seeks to secure a minimum 50% affordable housing provision on qualifying sites, requires the mix of homes to respond to latest evidence, including specialist and older persons’ needs, and recognises the need for both affordable and market housing to support mixed communities in rural areas. The Plan also acknowledges the functional role of Minor Rural Settlements such as St Nicholas and the importance of supporting local services within them. In our view, those objectives are unlikely to be achieved through the very limited number of affordable housing-led allocations currently proposed. Additional sites in the more sustainable Minor Rural Settlements are therefore required if the Plan is to deliver what it seeks in a realistic, deliverable and sustainable manner.
Policy SP6 – Housing Requirement Position: Object
Barratt Redrow objects to Policy SP6.
Whilst we support the Council’s intention to plan positively for housing growth through an up-to-date RLDP, the proposed housing requirement of 7,890 dwellings is not considered sufficiently ambitious and, in our view, is no longer justified by the most up-to-date evidence. The Deposit Plan identifies a requirement of 7,890 dwellings, equating to 526 dwellings per annum, with provision for 8,660 homes once the 10% flexibility allowance is applied. That requirement remains rooted in the RLDP’s dwelling-led scenario, which the LHMA explains was derived from average completions over a 10-year period. In our view, that is too conservative an approach in present circumstances.
PPW and the Development Plans Manual is clear on this point. PPW sets out the following requirements for local authorities when setting a housing requirement at paragraph 4.2.6:
“The latest Welsh Government local authority level Household Projections for Wales, alongside the latest Local Housing Market Assessment (LHMA) and the Well-being plan for a plan area, will form a fundamental part of the evidence base for development plans. These should be considered together with other key evidence in relation to issues such as what the plan is seeking to achieve, links between homes and jobs, the need for affordable housing, Welsh language considerations and the deliverability of the plan, in order to identify an appropriate strategy for the delivery of housing in the plan area. Appropriate consideration must also begiven to the wider social, economic, environmental and cultural factors in a plan area in order to ensure the creation of sustainable places and cohesive communities.”
The Deposit Plan housing requirement is based on past delivery rates and does not take account of the above policy requirements. Whilst past build rates can be used as a benchmark for comparison, it is not appropriate for this to be used to set the future growth of the Authority Area. The Development Plans Manual states the following in this respect:
“5.55 Extrapolating forward past take-up rates for both jobs and homes over various time periods gives a factual representation of what has been delivered in the past. This approach can provide a useful benchmark against which to compare future employment and household growth, assuming previous conditions remained constant. However, this may have been constrained by contextual influences applicable at a previous point in time, for example global economic markets, or have led to undesirable outcomes which should not be repeated, such as a mismatch between the number of homes and jobs.
5.56 It will be important to understand the relationship between the past and the future direction of the plan, including such contextual circumstances. If there are/were limitations that hindered the ability to deliver growth previously, then until mechanisms are in place to address such matters this could have a bearing on future growth levels. Understanding the context within which delivery was/can be achieved will be important, particularly when considering a housing trajectory as this could influence the speed and increase delivery rates, or conversely result in a delivery cap until such matters are resolved.
5.57 Just relying on past build rates as the sole evidence base to quantify future employment and housing land requirements is not sufficient on its own. Additional evidence will be required to identify the scale of new jobs and homes necessary and the related land requirement.”
Contextual factors that mean utilising past build rates in setting future housing growth is inappropriate include:
• Utilising past build rates incorporates recession-based trends. This includes supressed build rates following the 2008 recession and more recently, reduced housing completions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the current cost of living crisis;
• Does not actively seek to address the area’s ageing demographic;
• Does not reflect or take account of the Vale of Glamorgan’s position within a Growth Area within Future Wales;
• Does not seek to leverage any of the investment into the region through the CCR City Deal;
• Conflicts with the Deposit Plan’s ambition in terms of Homes For All and the Economy – in that there has been no recent job growth in the Vale of Glamorgan delivered under the current LDP and there is a shortage of housing and affordable housing. Applying the same build rate over the RLDP plan period would compound these issues; and
• During the period considered, many people were prevented from forming new households due to a lack of mortgage finance, lower employment levels and reduced rates of housing completions. There is a considerable body of evidence to show that household formation will return to long term trends if housing is made available. Research by the former National Housing and Planning Advice Unit (NHPAU)4 found that cohorts who are less able to access home ownership earlier in their housing career due to “boom” or “recession” factors impacting on affordability are nevertheless able to “catch-up” later on – 80% of the gap at the age of 30 is “caught-up” by the age of 40. This finding supports the resumption of long-term household formation trends.
In short, just relying on past build rates as the sole evidence base to quantify future housing land requirements is not sufficient on its own, and that additional evidence is required to identify the scale of new homes necessary, with alternative scenarios considered rather than simply extrapolating previous delivery trends. That is directly relevant here. A housing requirement derived too closely from historic completion rates risks baking in past under-delivery rather than planning positively for future need.
That concern is reinforced by the updated Welsh Government evidence published after the RLDP’s preferred growth scenario was formulated. The latest 2025-based estimates of additional housing need identify newly arising need in Wales of between 7,800 and 9,300 additional homes per annum over the first five years, with a central estimate of around 8,700 homes per annum, alongside a separate estimate of existing unmet need of 9,400 homes. Whilst those are national figures and do not automatically translate into a single local housing target, they plainly point towards a materially higher level of need than has previously been assumed and strengthen the case for local planning authorities, particularly in growth areas, to revisit conservative housing requirements.
The updated 2022-based household projections point in the same direction. Welsh Government’s latest figures show that the number of households in Wales is projected to increase by 7.2% between mid-2022 and mid-2032, and that the Vale of Glamorgan is projected to experience one of the largest percentage increases in Wales, at 11.7%. The same release notes that the Vale is also amongst the authorities expected to experience some of the strongest private household population growth. In short, the latest demographic evidence does not support a low-growth or “business as usual” response for the Vale. It points the other way.
This sits uncomfortably with the Council’s own housing evidence. The Deposit Plan records that the Vale has the highest affordability ratio in Wales and a significant need for affordable homes. It further records that the LHMA identifies affordable housing need averaging 461 dwellings per annum over 15 years using the principal projections, rising to 502 dwellings per annum under the RLDP projection figures. The Deposit Plan also acknowledges that only a proportion of new households will require affordable housing because others will meet their needs through the market. That is important, because it underlines the need for both affordable and open market housing, and therefore for a higher overall housing requirement than the Plan currently proposes.
The Deposit Plan principally seeks to address issues of affordability through a blanket 50% affordable housing requirement on sites other than the Key Sites. Whilst we fully support the Council in looking to address issues of affordability, we consider that an increase in the housing requirement and subsequent increase in housing supply (both open market and affordable) should be pursued.
There is a broader strategic point as well. The Vale sits within the wider Cardiff housing market and the Deposit Plan itself recognises the strong migration relationship with Cardiff and the role that strategic collaboration should play in considering housing growth. Against that background, and having regard to the updated Welsh Government evidence, the present requirement of 7,890 dwellings does not appear sufficiently ambitious for a National Growth Area authority with strong migration inflows, severe affordability pressures and one of the highest projected household growth rates in Wales. In our view, the Plan should test a higher housing requirement through examination.
A higher growth rate, such as the PG-5Y scenario or higher should be adopted to better align housing and job growth and redress socio economic trends. The likelihood of this of level of growth occurring is even greater in the context of the ambition and funding available to support the City Deal. However, in seeking to deliver the economic vision for the area, it is important to ensure that economic growth is not constrained by a lack of land (for either housing or employment).
Whilst this is higher than past build rates, it should be noted that build rates are closely related to the availability of deliverable sites; therefore, the allocation of sufficient housing land in the RLDP would go a long way to increasing delivery. Current delivery rates have been supressed by wider socio economic trends and reliance within the existing LDP on large strategic sites (i.e. Barry Waterfront). Basing the RLDP Growth Option on past delivery would therefore result in an increase in the number of suppressed households. There is no rationale or justification to set future housing need by reference solely to past delivery rates.
The key point for soundness is therefore a simple one. The Development Plans Manual requires a housing requirement to be grounded in a broad evidence base and not simply in past completion trends. The latest demographic and housing need evidence now available points towards stronger growth pressure than that reflected in Policy SP6. In those circumstances, retaining the current requirement without revisiting it would not, in our view, be consistent with the Development Plans Manual or with a genuinely evidence-led plan-making exercise.
The Council’s own evidence supports the use of a 4% household-to-dwelling conversion factor. The LHMA states that the RLDP preferred growth scenario assumes growth of 7,586 households, which equates to 7,890 dwellings once vacancy rates are applied, effectively applying a 4% uplift in practice. That approach is also consistent with the adopted Vale of Glamorgan LDP, which expressly applied a
1.04 household-to-dwelling conversion ratio in deriving part of its housing requirement. In those circumstances, and absent any robust local evidence justifying a different factor, it is entirely appropriate to apply the Development Plans Manual baseline uplift of 4% to any updated household-led requirement. On that basis, a requirement of 9,623 households would convert to 10,008 dwellings, which is around 26.8% above the 7,890 dwellings currently sought under Policy SP6 and further underlines that the Deposit RLDP is not sufficiently ambitious in housing terms.Accordingly, Policy SP6 should be amended to provide for a higher housing requirement. The precise figure is ultimately a matter for examination, but the current requirement is too low, too closely tied to past build rates, and insufficiently responsive to updated Welsh Government projections and housing need evidence. A higher requirement would also require a broader and more resilient supply portfolio, which in turn strengthens the case for additional deliverable sites in sustainable settlements such as St Nicholas.
Policy SP6 – Flexibility, housing land supply and trajectory Position: Object
Barratt Redrow also objects to the level of flexibility embedded within Policy SP6 and raises concern regarding the resilience of the housing land supply and the robustness of the housing trajectory.
The Development Plans Manual is clear that housing supply is the housing requirement plus a flexibility allowance. It further states that it will be extremely rare for all sites identified in a plan to come forward within the timescales anticipated, and that a development plan will not be effective if it cannot accommodate changing circumstances. For that reason, a flexibility allowance must be embedded into the plan. Whilst the Manual says that 10% may be a starting point, it also makes clear that the level of flexibility is for each authority to determine based on local issues and that any chosen level must be robustly evidenced.
In our view, a 10% flexibility allowance is not sufficient in the context of this Plan. The Deposit Plan’s housing provision of 8,660 dwellings is made up of 3,837 dwellings from the existing land supply, 3,520 dwellings on allocated sites and 1,303 dwellings from windfalls. The Council’s housing land supply paper then shows that the allocation component itself includes 959 dwellings on rolled-forward LDP sites, 2,278 dwellings on key housing allocations, 122 dwellings on affordable housing-led sites and 161 dwellings on other allocations. That is a relatively exposed and finely balanced supply portfolio.
The resilience issue is due to a substantial element of the supply depends on a relatively small number of key sites, a significant rolled-forward component, and a large windfall assumption. The Development Plans Manual states that rolled-forward allocations require careful justification, that there must be a substantial change in circumstances to demonstrate such sites can be delivered and justify being included again, and that clear evidence will be required that those sites can be delivered. That is a demanding test, as it should be. In our view, the Plan’s reliance on rolled-forward sites and key sites means that a modest flexibility allowance of 10% does not provide a sufficient margin of safety.
The housing trajectory also warrants closer scrutiny. The Development Plans Manual describes the housing trajectory as the key mechanism for demonstrating how all sites will be delivered in the identified timescales throughout the whole plan period. It states that lead-in times for larger sites, inter-relationships between sites, constraints, infrastructure timing and assumptions for both large and small windfalls must all be taken into account. It also requires trajectories to provide a steady flow of sites through the plan period and not to be unduly loaded towards the end of the period.
Against that benchmark, there is a legitimate question over whether the RLDP trajectory is sufficiently robust. The Council’s own housing land supply paper records stakeholder concerns that the trajectory shows a significant step change in delivery above previous rates, that there is too great a reliance on key sites, and that the assumed timescales for pre-application work, application determination and discharge of conditions are too short. The consultation summary specifically records concern that delivery rises from around 400 to 500 dwellings per annum in the early monitored years to around 1,000 dwellings per annum by 2027/28, and that this represents a marked and pronounced step change. Those are not peripheral issues; they go directly to the credibility and resilience of the trajectory.
The same background paper also confirms that over 25% of the Plan’s total provision is attributed to key sites. Again, that does not make the Plan unsound in itself, but it does mean the trajectory and flexibility allowance need to be particularly robust. In our view, the current Plan does not yet demonstrate that level of resilience. The delivery assumptions may prove achievable, but the point for examination is that they require close scrutiny and should not simply be accepted at face value, particularly when the Development Plans Manual emphasises realism, flexibility and steady delivery through the full plan period.
There is also a concern about the windfall component. The Council’s evidence assumes delivery of 1,303 dwellings from large and small windfall developments over the lifetime of the plan. The Development Plans Manual accepts that windfalls can form part of supply, but it also requires the assumptions behind them to be evidenced and scrutinised. Here, the windfall figure is material, not marginal. That is another reason why the resilience of the identified allocation portfolio matters so much. Where a plan is relying on rolled-forward sites, key sites and substantial windfalls all at once, there is a stronger case for a higher flexibility allowance and for a broader pool of deliverable sites.
In our view, the sounder approach would be to increase the flexibility allowance from 10% to 15% and broaden the supply base through the inclusion of additional sustainable and deliverable sites. That would better reflect the Development Plans Manual’s requirement for plans to remain effective in the face of delay and changing circumstances, and it would reduce the risk of the RLDP becoming over-dependent on a narrow set of sites and optimistic delivery assumptions. It would also be entirely consistent with wider Welsh plan-making practice, where flexibility allowances above 10% have been accepted where local circumstances justify it. By way of example, Flintshire’s adopted LDP applies a flexibility allowance of over 13%, while Bridgend’s recently adopted RLDP provides for a 14% flexibility allowance following examination. Against that background, and having regard to the Vale RLDP’s reliance on key sites, rolled-forward allocations, a substantial windfall component and a stepped housing trajectory, a 15% allowance is justified here as a proportionate and robust response to the particular delivery risks of this Plan.This point also links directly back to St Nicholas. If the Plan is to be made sound, it should not rely so heavily on a small number of large, longer-lead sites and on a substantial windfall allowance. It should include a broader range of deliverable sites capable of contributing earlier and more reliably to the housing trajectory. A sustainable, mixed-tenure site at St Nicholas would assist in precisely that respect by diversifying the supply portfolio and improving resilience.
Policy SP7 – Affordable Housing Provision Position: Support in principle / Object in part
Barratt Redrow supports the objective of delivering affordable housing and agrees that this is one of the key issues the RLDP must address. Policy SP7 is therefore supported in principle. However, the policy should be read in conjunction with a more ambitious overall housing strategy, because affordable housing delivery cannot sensibly be divorced from the wider question of total supply.
The Deposit Plan is clear that the delivery of affordable housing is a key objective of the RLDP and that the strength of the Vale’s housing market has resulted in many local people experiencing difficulties in purchasing suitable housing on the open market. Barratt Redrow supports that objective in principle. The policy also correctly identifies that a mix of affordable housing will be required, with reference to the LHMA, and that this should include a range of tenures, types and sizes of homes. That said, the wording of Policy SP7 lacks sufficient clarity. In particular, the reference to the affordable housing mix being “informed” by the LHMA is ambiguous. It is unclear whether the LHMA is intended to provide a broad evidence base and starting point for negotiation, or whether the Council expects schemes to replicate that mix as a fixed requirement. In our view, the policy should be clarified so that the LHMA is expressly treated as a guiding framework rather than a prescriptive formula, with the final tenure mix, type and size of affordable provision being determined having regard to site-specific circumstances, up-to-date evidence, viability and deliverability.The LHMA is highly relevant here. It explains that affordable need is no longer confined to traditional social rented housing and that current economic conditions have squeezed many households out of both home ownership and the private rented sector, creating additional need for intermediate rent and low-cost home ownership products. It also notes that an ongoing supply of new build properties remains important to the operation of assisted home ownership products in the Vale.
That evidence is important because it confirms there is a need for both affordable and open market housing. The market sector is not separate from the affordable housing challenge; it is part of how that challenge is addressed. The LHMA also makes clear that only a proportion of new households will require affordable housing because others will meet their needs through the market. This is another reason why the overall housing requirement matters so much.
There is also a more local point relevant to St Nicholas. The LHMA identifies St Nicholas & Llancarfan as a distinct housing market area and shows need arising there across tenures. It is therefore not correct to approach St Nicholas on the basis that only one tenure or one product type is needed. The evidence points to a requirement for a broader mix.
The Deposit Plan itself supports that conclusion. It acknowledges that, in meeting Policy SP7, a range of affordable tenures, types and sizes of homes will be required. It also records that the Council will seek to secure an appropriate level and mix of affordable housing in all proposed residential developments.
In our view, the main issue with Policy SP7 is therefore not its objective, but the fact that the rest of the strategy is not sufficiently ambitious to support it. The Plan cannot identify very substantial affordable need and then pursue a relatively low overall housing requirement combined with a narrow rural growth model. A sound approach would be to increase the overall housing provision and broaden the pool of sustainable and deliverable mixed-tenure sites so that affordable housing delivery through the planning system can be maximised. St Nicholas should form part of that response.
Policy SP8 – Affordable Housing Requirements Position: Support in principle / Object in part
Barratt Redrow supports the principle that residential development should contribute towards affordable housing need. However, there are concerns about how Policy SP8 interacts with the rest of the strategy, especially outside the Strategic Growth Area.
The Deposit Plan confirms that, within Primary and Minor Rural Settlements, new development will generally be required to provide 40% affordable housing. It also confirms that outside delineated settlement boundaries proposals for additional housing will be strictly controlled and limited to affordable housing exception sites or housing in support of rural enterprises. The Plan then layers on the separate affordable housing-led model under Policy HG4, where a minimum of 50% affordable housing is required.
In principle, Barratt Redrow has no issue with seeking ambitious affordable housing delivery where supported by viability evidence. The concern is that the overall strategy becomes too rigid when SP8 is read alongside SP2, SP3, HG4 and other potentially onerous policy requirements, including Policy CC1. In practice, this risks leaving sustainable settlements such as St Nicholas with very little scope to contribute to general housing delivery unless schemes meet a highly demanding affordable-led model. That is not a balanced or flexible way to plan for rural communities. It also gives rise to a lack of clarity between Policies SP7 and SP8 which should be addressed. Policy SP7 states that the mix of affordable housing to be delivered over the plan period will be “informed” by the LHMA, waiting list data and the Older Persons Housing Strategy, but it is unclear whether that is intended simply as a starting point for negotiation or whether the Council expects the identified mix to be applied more prescriptively. By contrast, Policy SP8 expressly provides greater flexibility: it states that affordable housing will be negotiated on a site-by-site basis having regard to evidenced viability, that the exact mix of affordable housing will be considered on a case-by-case basis having regard to the Council’s latest needs evidence, and that where proven economic circumstances affect delivery the Council may negotiate the level, type, tenure and nature of provision. In our view, those two policies should be aligned. That would better reflect Planning Policy Wales, which requires planning authorities to develop evidence-based market and affordable housing policies, but also makes clear that affordable housing targets and policy expectations must take account of deliverability and viability considerations. In that context, Policy SP7 should be clarified so that the LHMA and related evidence are expressly treated as guiding the starting point for discussions on mix, rather than imposing a fixed outcome irrespective of site-specific circumstances, technical constraints, abnormal costs or viability. That is especially important given the Deposit Plan’s blanket affordable housing percentages across the Vale and the cumulative effect of other policy requirements, which may affect the deliverability of particular allocations and should therefore be capable of being addressed on a site-by-site basis.The Deposit Plan recognises that an appropriate mix of affordable housing will be required, and that in the rural Vale there is a desire for smaller market homes as well as affordable homes. It also accepts that affordable housing delivery may be lower than anticipated because of viability constraints and that, where proven economic circumstances affect delivery, the Council may negotiate the level, type, tenure and nature of provision. This should feed through into a more flexible strategy overall. In particular, the Plan should not be read or applied in a way that suppresses the delivery of mixed-tenure schemes in sustainable rural settlements where those schemes can contribute both market and affordable housing and support local services. That is especially so given the evidence in the LHMA that a range of tenures is required and that intermediate and low-cost home ownership products are an increasingly important part of the housing response.
8. Policy HG1 / Housing Allocations and overall supply portfolio Position: Comment / Object in part
Barratt Redrow does not object in principle to the Council allocating key sites and other strategic locations. However, there remains a significant concern that the Plan is overly reliant on a relatively narrow supply portfolio.
The Deposit Plan confirms that the allocation component of supply comprises 2,278 dwellings on key sites, 959 dwellings on rolled forward sites, 161 dwellings on new housing allocations and 122 dwellings on affordable housing-led sites. It also confirms that 1,303 dwellings are expected from windfalls. That means a large proportion of the Plan’s supply is tied up either in a small number of large sites, historic carry-over, or a substantial assumption about unallocated windfall delivery.
Our earlier Preferred Strategy reps raised exactly this issue and those points should all be carried forward. In particular:
• the Plan is overly reliant on a small number of key sites;
• medium-sized sites in sustainable locations can provide resilience to the housing trajectory;
• windfalls account for a significant proportion of the supply and provide less certainty over geographical distribution and delivery; and
• rolled forward allocations require careful justification if they are to be relied upon as part of the plan’s effective provision.
The Deposit Plan’s own figures support that concern. It states that only a small proportion of development is likely to take place outside of the Strategic Growth Area, with some of this reflecting permissions granted under the adopted strategy. It also shows that the total housing provision attributable to Minor Rural Settlements and Primary Settlements outside the Strategic Growth Area is only 390 dwellings. In our view that is too low, particularly given the evidence that some of those settlements perform relatively well and can help diversify the supply portfolio.
Based on the revised RLDP Delivery Agreement, should there be no further slippage the RLDP will be adopted in September 2027 with there being some 7 years before the end of the plan period (of 2034) post-adoption. There may of course be some slippage in the adoption of the RLDP. We therefore would query whether the quantum of homes proposed on the larger Key Sites can realistically be delivered within the plan period.
The following conclusions of Lichfield’s Start to Finish (2nd Edition, Feb 2020) research are relevant in this respect:
• From the date at which an outline application is validated, the average figures can be 5.0-8.4 years for the first home to be delivered.
• If a scheme of more than 500 dwellings has an outline permission, then on average it delivers its first home in circa 3 years.
• The average build out rate of sites between 500-999 dwellings is 68 homes per annum and 107 homes per annum for sites between 1,000 and 1,499 dwellings.
All of the Key Sites have no outline application having been submitted. Given the revocation of TAN 1 and Welsh Government’s emphasis on a plan led system, the very earliest that the Key Sites could have outline permission in place would be post-adoption of the plan limiting its housing land supply contribution within the early years of the plan period. Allowing for an appropriate amount of time to secure necessary permissions, consents and infrastructure delivery, the Key Sites’ contribution to housing supply within the plan period would fall significantly below the quantum currently assumed in the Preferred Strategy. In that context, it is all the more important that sustainable and deliverable medium-sized sites are included in the Plan where appropriate. Again, St Nicholas is an obvious example.
In short, the issue is not that key sites should not exist. It is that the current portfolio is not broad enough and not resilient enough. The Plan should be strengthened through the inclusion of additional medium-sized, sustainable allocations capable of delivery within the plan period.
Policy HG4 – Rural Affordable Housing Led Sites Position: Support in principle / Object in part
Barratt Redrow supports the principle of identifying rural affordable housing-led sites. It is entirely appropriate that the RLDP seeks to respond to local housing need in rural communities and to secure affordable provision in settlements where opportunities may otherwise be more limited.
However, Policy HG4 also illustrates the broader weakness in the Plan’s current rural strategy. The Deposit Plan allocates four affordable housing-led sites at Colwinston, Aberthin, Wick and Fferm Goch, totalling 122 dwellings. It also requires applicants to demonstrate how both the market and affordable housing on those sites will meet local housing needs in terms of tenure, type and size, so that a range of housing is delivered to meet different groups in the community. The supporting text then expressly notes that Planning Policy Wales requires a sufficient number of sites suitable for the full range of housing types, and that in the rural Vale there is demand for smaller market homes as well as affordable homes.
Those are important statements and, in our view, they assist the case being made here. They show that the Council itself accepts that rural settlements need a range and choice of homes, not just affordable housing in isolation. They also show that some open market housing in rural locations is not only acceptable, but in fact part of how mixed communities and affordable delivery are achieved.
The problem is that the strategy remains too narrow in how it applies that logic. The Plan effectively says that outside the Strategic Growth Area, growth should generally be confined to affordable-led schemes with a minimum 50% affordable requirement, and anything below that will not be supported. In our view that is too rigid and may well suppress otherwise sustainable and beneficial development, particularly where sites are capable of delivering a strong policy-compliant affordable contribution but not necessarily the precise affordable-led model the Council has chosen.
We continue to raise concerns that a blanket 50% affordable requirement could create deliverability issues, including reliance on complex developer/RSL arrangements and a level of uncertainty around funding and market conditions. Without repeating every operational point, the central planning concern remains valid: the strategy should not be so rigid that it prevents settlements from growing and adapting in a sustainable way. This is especially the case given the ever more challenging delivery context set by increasingly onerous policy requirements.
St Nicholas is relevant here because it demonstrates the missed opportunity in the current approach. The village is expressly identified by the Council as one of the smaller rural settlements with a primary school serving a wider catchment area. It performs well in the settlement appraisal and is the sort of place where a sensitive mixed-tenure allocation could help support local services, provide both market and affordable housing, and diversify the Plan’s supply. In our view, the omission of St Nicholas from the rural housing strategy is not justified by the evidence currently before the Council.
Policy CC1 – Residential Operational Net Zero Carbon Development Position: Object
Barratt Redrow supports the wider objective of improving the energy performance of new homes and reducing carbon emissions from development. However, Policy CC1 in its current form gives rise to a number of concerns regarding consistency with national standards, deliverability, viability and practical implementation. The Deposit Plan is explicit that Policy CC1 is intended to require new dwellings to exceed current Building Regulations standards. Welsh Government’s own sustainable buildings guidance confirms that Building Regulations set mandatory standards for the design and construction of buildings, including environmental performance. In our view, that raises a legitimate question as to whether an additional local policy layer of this kind is necessary or proportionate, particularly where it risks inconsistency across local planning authorities and may duplicate, or move ahead of, the national regulatory framework.
There is also a need for greater precision in the policy wording itself. As drafted, Policy CC1 requires development to provide on-site renewable electricity generation equivalent to at least the annual energy consumption of the development, assessed through an energy performance model. The supporting text explains that the relevant metric is Energy Use Intensity, which measures all energy consumed by the building. If the policy approach is to be progressed, the policy should make clear that compliance relates only to regulated energy use, consistent with Building Regulations methodology. Developers can influence the performance of the building fabric and regulated building services, but they cannot control future occupant behaviour, appliance use, plug loads or other forms of unregulated energy demand. Without that clarification, there is a risk that the policy extends beyond matters that can reasonably and consistently be secured through the planning process.
A further issue is that the policy should expressly allow its requirements to fall away, or be treated as satisfied, where national Building Regulations subsequently catch up with or exceed the standards sought under Policy CC1, or where the national regime adopts a different but equivalent methodology. Without such a safeguard, there is a real risk that the RLDP imposes outdated or duplicative requirements later in the plan period, which would not only create unnecessary complexity but could also compromise the delivery of much-needed housing. That concern is heightened by the cumulative policy burden elsewhere in the Plan, including affordable housing, open space, placemaking, green infrastructure and other low carbon requirements. In our view, the Council should therefore demonstrate, through its viability work, that the housing allocations in Policy HG1 are capable of absorbing the cumulative costs of Policy CC1 alongside the wider requirements of the RLDP.
Clarification is also required in relation to the fallback Project Zero Fund contribution. The Deposit Plan states that where it is not technically feasible to provide a policy-compliant level of renewable energy on site, the residual energy is to be offset through an appropriate contribution to the Council’s Project Zero Fund “as far as economic viability allows”, with further detail to be provided in SPG. In our view, that is presently too uncertain. The policy should make clear how any such contribution will be calculated, what assumptions will be used, what evidence will be required, and how viability will be taken into account. These are all matters which go directly to deliverability and should not be left entirely to post-adoption guidance.
In summary, Building Regulations are sufficient to achieve Welsh Government’s objectives for improving energy efficiency and delivering net-zero carbon development. Additional local policy requirements risk creating inconsistency across Local Planning Authorities and may exceed what is necessary to align with national policy. If a local approach is to be taken, as a minimum, Policy CC1 should be amended so that: (i) it applies only to regulated energy use; (ii) its requirements fall away, or are deemed satisfied, where Building Regulations subsequently meet or exceed them or adopt an alternative national methodology; and (iii) the policy and supporting text provide a clearer framework for viability, Project Zero contributions and practical implementation.
Policy CI1 – Open Space Provision
Position: Support in principle / Object in part
Barratt Redrow supports the objective of ensuring that new development makes appropriate provision for open space and recreation. That is entirely consistent with good placemaking and with national policy support for healthy, inclusive and green environments. However, Policy CI1 as drafted is overly prescriptive and, in our view, requires amendment to provide greater flexibility and to better reflect local context and design-led principles.
The main concern is the way in which the policy translates the Fields in Trust benchmarks into a rigid per-dwelling requirement of 62.2 sq m per dwelling. The Deposit Plan itself recognises, at paragraph 6.233, that on-site provision should be design led rather than standards led, and that the type of provision should respond to local context and identified local need having regard to the Open Space Background Paper. That is an important and sensible acknowledgement. In our view, however, the policy wording pulls in the opposite direction by setting out what reads in practice as a uniform quantitative requirement. Fields in Trust guidance is ordinarily framed around population and typologies, to be applied strategically and flexibly, rather than as a blanket per-dwelling metric irrespective of scheme context, form and composition. A rigid application of the standard risks disproportionate land take, unnecessary design constraints and, ultimately, pressure on viability and delivery.
There is also concern regarding the separate requirement for an Open Space Strategy for all housing and commercial developments meeting the thresholds. In many cases, the provision of open space within a development will already be addressed through the Design and Access Statement, Green Infrastructure Statement and the overall layout and placemaking rationale of the scheme. We would therefore question whether a standalone Open Space Strategy is necessary in every case. In our view, the policy should be amended so that open space can be addressed through the principal design and green infrastructure material submitted with the application, unless there is a particular site-specific reason why a separate strategy is required. That would avoid unnecessary duplication without weakening the quality of assessment.
Change sought: amend Policy CI1 and supporting text to make clear that the benchmark standards are to be applied flexibly and strategically, having regard to site context, typology and local need, and that open space provision may be addressed through the Design and Access Statement and/or Green Infrastructure material rather than requiring a standalone Open Space Strategy in every case.
Policy SP4 – Placemaking
Position: Support in principle / Comment
Barratt Redrow supports Policy SP4 in principle. The emphasis on placemaking is fully consistent with Planning Policy Wales and with the Deposit Plan’s wider design-led approach to development. The policy framework rightly seeks to ensure that major development is shaped by the placemaking principles from the outset.
That said, the wording of the policy should better reflect the position already set out in the supporting text. Paragraph 6.34 of the Deposit Plan makes clear that the required Placemaking Statement should form part of the Design and Access Statement for most major planning applications. That is helpful and sensible. In our view, the policy itself should say the same thing expressly, so that there is no suggestion that applicants are expected to prepare a separate freestanding document in addition to the DAS.
Suggested wording amendment:
“Major development proposals must be supported by a Placemaking Statement, to be incorporated within the Design and Access Statement where one is required, demonstrating clearly how the proposal accords with the placemaking principles of the Plan.”
That amendment would improve clarity, avoid duplication and align the policy wording with paragraph
6.34 of the supporting text.
Policy SP5 – Creating Healthy and Inclusive Places and Spaces Position: Support in principle / Comment in part
Barratt Redrow supports the objective of creating healthy and inclusive places and spaces and agrees that health and well-being are legitimate and important planning considerations. The wider thrust of Policy SP5 is consistent with PPW’s placemaking agenda and with the Deposit Plan’s recognition that the built environment can have a significant influence on health outcomes.
However, there is a need to ensure that the assessment requirements under Policy SP5 are proportionate and do not create unnecessary cost and duplication. The policy requires all qualifying major development to undertake screening at pre-application stage and, for significant developments, a rapid Health Impact Assessment. The supporting text explains that a rapid HIA may involve literature review, stakeholder engagement and wider evidence gathering. In our view, whilst that may be appropriate for larger or more complex schemes, the policy should recognise more clearly that the health implications of development will often already be addressed through the Design and Access Statement, Placemaking Statement, Green Infrastructure material, Transport Assessment and related application documents. There is a risk that the current wording adds a further procedural burden, with associated cost implications, without always adding materially new value.
We therefore consider that the policy should be applied proportionately, with the checklist and any rapid HIA focused on developments where there is a realistic prospect of significant or complex health implications, rather than as a routine additional requirement in every qualifying case. The policy would also benefit from clarification that the conclusions of the screening/HIA can be incorporated into the main design and supporting statements submitted with the application, rather than requiring standalone reporting unless specifically justified by the scale or sensitivity of the proposal.
Change sought: amend Policy SP5 and/or its supporting text to confirm that health assessment requirements will be applied proportionately, and that the outcomes of the checklist or rapid HIA may be integrated within other application documents, including the Design and Access Statement, Placemaking Statement and Green Infrastructure material, unless a standalone report is specifically justified.
Policy CC2 – Presumption Against Demolition Position: Support in principle / Object in part
Barratt Redrow supports the broad objective of encouraging the repair, refurbishment, re-use and re-purposing of existing buildings where that represents the most sustainable outcome. The policy’s underlying intent, to avoid unnecessary loss of embodied carbon and encourage circular economy principles, is understood.
Nevertheless, Policy CC2 as drafted is overly onerous and risks giving rise to unintended consequences for deliverability. The policy establishes a strong presumption against demolition and requires extensive justification through either a Demolition Statement or an Energy Report / Whole Life Carbon Assessment. Whilst that may be appropriate in certain cases, a blanket presumption of this kind risks frustrating otherwise sustainable redevelopment proposals, including proposals involving poor quality farm buildings, obsolete structures, and buildings that are not well suited to modern standards of layout, accessibility, thermal performance or efficient land use. In some cases, insisting on retention or retrofit may not represent the most sustainable outcome overall.
There is also a tension with the wider objective of making the most effective and efficient use of land. Some buildings may be technically capable of retention, but only at disproportionate cost, with compromised design outcomes or reduced site efficiency. On previously developed or rural redevelopment sites alike, that could affect development timescales, viability and ultimately the ability to bring forward policy-compliant schemes. The policy does contain some flexibility through criteria 3 and 4, which recognise that a lower net carbon solution may in some circumstances arise from demolition and redevelopment. However, in our view, the overall wording still leans too heavily towards a presumption against demolition rather than a balanced assessment of the most sustainable whole-life outcome in each case.
The policy would therefore benefit from a more balanced formulation which supports retention and reuse where appropriate, but does not create a disproportionate barrier to demolition where redevelopment would deliver a better placemaking, operational carbon, viability or land-use outcome. That is particularly important in relation to sites containing redundant agricultural or rural buildings, and sites where retrofit would be impractical, inefficient or environmentally sub-optimal.
Change sought: amend Policy CC2 so that it supports the retention and re-use of existing buildings where feasible and sustainable, but allows demolition where this would deliver a more effective overall development outcome having regard to whole-life carbon, operational performance, design quality, viability, land efficiency and deliverability.
Land at St Nicholas / omission from the Deposit Plan Position: Object to omission
Barratt Redrow objects to the omission of land at St Nicholas from the Deposit Plan.
The case for St Nicholas is, in our view, strong and is rooted in the Council’s own evidence base. As already noted, the settlement performs strongly in the BP5 appraisal, the adopted LDP and current review both identify the role of minor rural settlements in supporting sustainable communities, and both the adopted LDP and the current Deposit Plan recognise the specific significance of St Nicholas as a village with a primary school serving a wider catchment area.
Deposit Plan Conclusion
Overall, Barratt Redrow is supportive of the Council’s continued work in preparing the RLDP and supports the objective of putting in place a robust, plan-led framework for growth in the Vale of Glamorgan. However, the Plan in its current form is not sufficiently ambitious and requires modification in order to be sound.
In particular:
• The Plan Period is too short. An extended plan period (and associated increase in housing requirement) is required to provide for at least ten years post adoption;
• the housing requirement under Policy SP6 is too low and is too closely tied to past build rates;
• the 10% flexibility allowance is not sufficient given the structure and risk profile of the supply;
• the Plan relies too heavily on key sites, rolled forward sites and windfalls;
• the strategy for settlements outside the Strategic Growth Area is too restrictive and does not properly reflect the evidence on bus-connected, serviceable and functionally linked settlements; and
• the omission of St Nicholas is not justified by the Council’s own evidence base.
The evidence before the Council supports a stronger role for St Nicholas. The adopted LDP and current BP5 review both recognise the role of Minor Rural Settlements in supporting sustainable rural communities and providing for moderate growth. The Deposit Plan itself acknowledges St Nicholas’ role as a settlement with a primary school serving a wider catchment area. The LHMA demonstrates that there is a need for a range of housing products and tenures, and the Deposit Plan itself accepts that rural areas require both affordable and market housing to meet local needs.
For those reasons, Barratt Redrow seeks amendments to Policies SP1, SP2, SP6, SP7, SP8 and HG4, together with a more flexible and resilient housing strategy overall, and the inclusion of land at St Nicholas as an appropriate and deliverable source of mixed-tenure housing growth within the RLDP period.
Candidate Site Register - Site ID 486
Land to the south of the A48 at St Nicholas (Site ID 486) is being promoted by Barratt Redrow for a residential-led development.
Stage 2 Candidate Site Assessment
The Council’s Stage 2 Candidate Site Assessment states:
“The development would have an adverse impact on the character and setting of the St Nicholas Conservation Area and would also be considered to represent an unacceptable intrusion in to the open countryside. Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map indicates that the site is Grade 3a agricultural land loss of this land would be contrary to national policy.”
The key issues raised are all capable of being overcome as part of the ongoing promotion of the site, as set out below:
Impact upon Character and Setting of the St Nicholas Conservation Area
Wessex Archaeology have prepared a Heritage Appraisal in support of the site’s development. This concludes that future development within the site would unlikely cause harm to the significance of the designated heritage assets if the development is in keeping with the surrounding built character.
The impact upon the character and setting of the St Nicholas Conservation Area is considered acceptable and the site is considered to be the best option to accommodate the growth of St Nicholas in a sensitive manner, particularly with regard to the following:
• The Site is located outside of the Conservation Area whereas other fields outside the settlement boundary (e.g. to the south of The Manor House) are within the Conservation Area;
• The Conservation Area covers the majority of St Nicholas and most options for the village’s growth would be within its setting;
• PPW Para. 6.5.22 advises that proposals should be tested against a Conservation Area Appraisal where they are available. The St Nicholas Conservation Area Appraisal does not identify any features or important characteristics on the candidate site; and
• The proposals for the site are being developed so that they are sensitively designed, in keeping with the surrounding built character and retain important landscape features and views beyond the site.
Countryside Impacts
The Urbanists have undertaken a Landscape and Visual Appraisal in support of the site’s development. It concludes that the site could be developed without causing unacceptable visual impacts on key receptors, the landscape character and types within the proposed site and its surrounds, with the inclusion of appropriate green infrastructure enhancement and mitigation.
The emerging proposals have been underpinned by existing landscape features, with green infrastructure areas and landscape edges proposed within and around the site. New parkland and amenity spaces, footpaths along with a network of sustainable drainage features are incorporated with tree planting proposed throughout. It is accordingly considered that the proposals will sit well within the receiving landscape with limited impacts beyond its immediate setting.
Agricultural Land Quality
Technical Advice Note (TAN) 6 notes that agricultural land within Grades 1, 2, and 3a are considered to be the “most flexible, productive and efficient land in terms of output”. Paragraph 3.59 of PPW sets out the search sequence when considering allocating land within LDPs stating that poorer quality agricultural land should be considered ahead of higher quality land. Accordingly, whilst the site comprises Grade 3a agricultural land quality based on the currently available survey data, it comprises the poorest quality of other options for growth around St Nicholas. There is an overriding need for housing growth as part of the preparation of the RLDP and the allocation of the site would accord with the search sequence set out in PPW.
As the proposals for the site develop further, there is scope to include allotments/community growing areas and open space areas allowing much of the very good quality soils to be retained. The soils that are retained on site in the open spaces and gardens will still be able to provide various ecosystem functions, particularly in the support of biodiversity, and water and carbon storage.
Appendix 2 – Summary of Assessment
We comment on the Council’s Summary of Assessment as follows:
• Developer Interest: should be amended from red to green. The site is under single positive control by Barratt Redrow who have a track record of successfully developing residential-led sites within the Vale of Glamorgan.
• Historic Environment: should be amended from red to green. The site and proposal’s potential impact upon the historic environment is outlined within the candidate site submission and earlier within these representations as being acceptable.
• Special Landscape Area and Glamorgan Heritage Coast Designations: should be amended from red to green. The Urbanists have undertaken a Landscape and Visual Appraisal in support of the site’s development. It concludes that the site could be developed without causing unacceptable visual impacts on these designations.
• Environmental & Physical Constraints Conclusions: should be amended from red to green. The site is not subject to any environmental or physical constraints which cannot be accommodated through the sensitive design approach adopted by Barrat Redrow.
• Access/proximity to services and facilities conclusions: should be amended from amber to green. The Transport Appraisal which formed part of the candidate site submission evidences the site’s accessibility and proximity to services and facilities.
• Connectivity and Capacity: should be amended from red to green. The candidate site submission demonstrates the site’s capacity for the quantum of development proposed and its connectivity to the settlement and other key locations in the Vale of Glamorgan via sustainable transport modes.
• Climate Change: should be amended from red to green. The site is in a sustainable location, with a number of local facilities including a bus stop, a school, health and wellbeing facilities all within a short walk from the site as well as the retail facilities situated within acceptable cycling distances site and highly accessible by public transport. Overall, the accessible location of the development will mean that there is a reduced need for private car journeys, in turn reducing overall pollution. The development will be supported by a Travel Plan in favour of sustainable modes of travel. Moreover, the dwellings will be built to Part L 2025 which means the new homes will produce reduced levels of CO2.
• Placemaking Character and Place: should be amended from red to green. The proposals comply with the National Sustainable Placemaking Outcomes, as set out within the Appraisal which formed part of the candidate site submission.
• Suitable for Further Consideration: should be amended from red to green for the reasons set out below and within the candidate site submission.
Suitability for Allocation and Key Benefits
For the sake of brevity, we do not intend to repeat the considerable and detailed content of the Candidate Site Submission here. The previously submitted information however contained substantial information to support the allocation of the site as well as a detailed sustainability and connectivity appraisal undertaken in accordance with PPW.
In summary, the submission demonstrated that the site is suitable for allocation within the Council’s RLDP and its inclusion would help contribute to the overall soundness of the emerging Plan. The proposed site fully accords with National Sustainable Placemaking Outcomes and Sustainable Transport Hierarchy set out in PPW and the site is considered to be deliverable and viable.
The proposed development of the site would deliver the following key benefits:
• Delivering a range and choice of housing (including a proportion of affordable housing) in a sustainable location on a deliverable site which can contribute towards the resilience of the RLDP’s housing trajectory and the effectiveness of the Plan;
• The proposals would support the vibrancy of St Nicholas with the site being closely related to the settlement and capable of integrating effectively with the settlement to the benefit of existing and proposed residents;
• The provision of multi-functional open space – including amenity space for residents, play spaces, potential for local growing spaces, nature walks, sustainable drainage and wildlife habitats to achieve biodiversity enhancements;
• Encouraging and supporting active travel with cleaner, greener travel choices and reduced out commuting being located close to public transport provision;
• Good quality open spaces with significant biodiversity benefits (delivering a biodiversity enhancement), surface water resilience and efficient energy, water and communications infrastructure;
• Economic benefits – including that the proposed development is expected to:
o Support the employment of 434 people;
o Create circa £1,687,420 in additional tax, including £158,124 in council tax revenue for the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
It is accordingly concluded that allocation of the site would contribute to the soundness of the RLDP and would accord with the well-being goals specified in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
Barratt Redrow, Highlight Planning and the project team are keen to work collaboratively with the Council and other parties to demonstrate the suitability of the land for development and its identification as an allocation in the RLDP.
I trust the above representations assist in the Council’s preparation of the RLDP. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss the above matters with the Council if that would be helpful. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us.