New planning law needed to cater for Wales’s unique needs
27 January 2011
Wales needs its own planning law to cater for its distinctive needs, according to a new report from the National Assembly for Wales’s Sustainability Committee.
The report from the cross-party group of AMs states that English and Welsh planning processes are so different that discrete Welsh legislation is needed to consolidate existing policy and improve systems for Wales.
It recommends a new law based on the “plan-led” approach – where local authorities prepare area-specific development plans which act as the point of reference for future planning decisions to ensure consistency.
Evidence received by the Committee pointed to issues in a number of areas, including difficulties faced by planners in managing social, economic and environmental sustainability priorities and policies.
The report also highlights the pressures faced by local planning officers in delivering the increasing demands put on them, which require enhanced levels of technical expertise.
To combat this, the Committee recommends more effective sharing of expertise including better training for planning authority officers to ensure they are sufficiently equipped to make informed decisions.
Committee Chair, Kirsty Williams AM, said: “There are few policy areas that have as wide-ranging an impact as planning. From sustainable development, economic regeneration and energy policy to transport, biodiversity and housing, planning systems play a central role in how policies are delivered on the ground.
“The Committee was heartened to find that there is much that works well in current planning policy, but clearly there are areas where changes need to be made.
“We heard wide-ranging evidence from those who operate the planning systems, those who are bringing forward proposals for its development and those who are affected by policy and decision-making.
“Our 30 recommendations are therefore based on a wealth of evidence from the very people delivering and affected by planning systems and the Committee hopes they are acted upon so that Wales can have a progressive and tailored planning system for the future.”
National Assembly for Wales’s Sustainability Committee