Cefnogi

ID sylw: 7374

Derbyniwyd: 23/10/2026

Ymatebydd: JDi Solutions Ltd

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https://valeofglamorgan.oc2.uk/docfiles/95/Volume%204%20-%20Full%20Representations%20on%20Key%20Sites2.pdf

The Council would advise that the RLDP has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Development Plans Manual (Edition 3) (March 2020) (DPM) which reflects the context of current national policy as contained with Planning Policy Wales (Edition 12) (February 2024) and current legislation including the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the Planning (Wales) Act 2015 and associated Regulations (The Town and Country Planning (Local Development Plan) (Wales) Regulations 2005 (as amended 2015)) and statutory consultation requirements.

All Local Authorities in Wales are required to produce a Local Development Plan (LDP) to manage land and development over the long term, setting out a positive vision for the area, and identifies where and how development should take place in the future. The existing Vale of Glamorgan LDP which was adopted in June 2017 currently administers this role and covers the period 2011-2026. Following the adoption of the LDP, the Council is required to annually monitor the performance of the plan, and after 4 years undertake a review of the plan to consider whether there is a need to update or replace its LDP. A review of the adopted LDP was undertaken in June 2021, which concluded that because of changes to national planning and the Council's new ambitions and aspirations, such as addressing climate change it was deemed necessary to produce a Replacement LDP (RLDP). Although work on the RLDP formally commenced in May 2022, the review was undertaken in June 2021 and therefore the Plan period extends from 2021 to 2036 to account for the plan preparation process.

Any planning applications submitted during the current Plan period will continue to be assessed against the Adopted LDP until such time as the LDP expires.

The Council recognises that a substantial amount of information was published as part of the consultation. However, this was necessary to ensure that the RLDP is supported by a robust and transparent evidence base that clearly demonstrates how decisions have been reached. As the RLDP will form the framework against which future planning applications are determined, a significant level of supporting evidence is required to satisfy the tests of soundness and national policy requirements. To assist users, supporting documents were organised into clearly defined categories, including background papers, evidence base documents and site-specific supporting information. Most supporting documents also included executive summaries to explain their purpose and key findings.

The preparation of a RLDP requires a comprehensive and technical evidence base, much of which is mandated by national policy and guidance. This evidence base includes technical evidence and site assessments which illustrate that proposed development sites are appropriate and can be delivered within the timescales of the plan and in accordance with local and national policy. While it is regrettable that these documents are technical, every effort is made to ensure that non-technical summaries are available. As these documents are necessary to support the inclusion of sites within the RLDP, their technical nature is therefore necessary.

Therefore, while the comments are noted, the Council considers that the technical nature of the evidence base is proportionate and necessary and does not deter public engagement.

Whilst the evidence base was extensive, respondents were not required to review every supporting document to submit comments on the Plan. Representations did not need to reference specific evidence base documents to be considered valid. It is recognised that in some instances, key sites were referenced in background papers as well as under the site-specific supporting information such as the Strategic Transport Assessment. However, where clarification was required, Planning Policy officers were available throughout the consultation period to direct individuals to relevant information and answer questions regarding any content in the Deposit RLDP or consultation process itself.

The Council also published an Easy Read version of the Deposit Plan, and a full version of the Deposit Plan was made available in Welsh. For supporting documents prepared by the Council, Welsh-language versions of the executive summaries were also provided. Documents produced by external organisations or submitted by third parties as supporting information for proposed site allocations, were not translated, as they were not prepared by the Council and were published in their original form.

Throughout the consultation period, support was available from the Planning Policy Team by telephone and email as well as consultation events to assist individuals with submitting representations or understanding the consultation material. In addition, officers undertook engagement activities with a range of groups, including those traditionally considered harder to reach, such as the 50+ Forum and tenant engagement groups. These sessions included explanations of the consultation process and assistance with making formal comments where required.

The Council sought to provide a variety of methods through which representations could be made. Comments could be submitted via the online consultation portal, by email, in paper form or by post. A user guide explaining how to use the consultation portal was made available. For those who preferred not to use the online system, paper representation forms could be downloaded, requested from the Council, obtained at consultation events, or collected from the Civic Offices or local Council run libraries. The online portal did not restrict the overall length of submissions, although users were requested to provide a short summary where representations exceeded 100 words to assist with processing and reporting.

While the comments regarding the Council’s digital consultation portal ‘OPUS’ are noted, the Council considers that such digital mechanisms for public consultation are now regarded as standard practise as evidenced by the use of the portal by many local authorities across England and Wales.

The Council considers that the use of the digital system as the primary mechanism for engagement, reflects modern practises and enables wide access as is evidenced by the level of response received to all stages of public consultation in the RLDP process.

In addition, the OPUS system was not the sole means of participation in the public consultation and consultation material was made available through multiple channels including physical copies of documents being made available in the Council-run libraries and the principal Council Office. This is consistent with standard practice and individuals who did not have access to the internet at home could also access the consultation website through computers available at community-run libraries. Again, the evidence illustrates that a significant proportion of representations were received through non-digital methods demonstrating that alternative methods were not only made available but were utilised by members of the public without access to digital means. The Council therefore considers that the public consultation process did not exclude non-digital participants from engaging in the process.

The LDP Regulations require the Council to work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders in preparing the RLDP, including specific and general consultation bodies and the public. Appendix 1 of the Revised Delivery Agreement (January 2026) provides a list of all specific and general consultation bodies that have and will be consulted at the appropriate stages of the RLDP process. This list of consultees is not exhaustive and will be added to as appropriate throughout the RLDP process.

A programme of consultation and engagement events was undertaken in accordance with the Delivery Agreement. These events were promoted through a range of methods including social media, the Council website, local publicity, posters and direct notification to individuals registered on the Council's consultation database. The purpose of these events was to explain the Plan, answer questions regarding the consultation process and assist attendees in making formal representations where necessary. Such events provided opportunities for open discussion and helped the Council understand key concerns being raised by communities. Council officers were well informed and sought to address all questions and concerns raised to the best of their ability, based on the information available at the stage of plan preparation. However, formal representations were required to be submitted in writing so that they could be properly recorded, considered and responded to as part of the statutory process.

Specific comments have been made regarding the lack of recording of attendance at consultation events. While the Council accepts that records of attendance were not made, the level of attendance at each event was such that officers were otherwise engaged discussing and informing members of the public of the RLDP. The lack of formal recording of attendance does not in the view of the Council undermine transparency or diminish the relevance and attendance at the events.

Consultation periods are specified through statutory guidance as set out in the DPM and while extensions to these time frames are permissible, this is usually only undertaken when consultation periods overlap statutory holiday periods or other events.

Public consultation events were held in accessible local venues and scheduled across different dates and times, designed to maximise attendance. As detailed above, while no formal records of attendance were made, the Council is confident that attendance at the events was high and indicates that there was both significant public awareness of the events and attendance. In arranging locations, every effort is made by the Council to secure venues that are accessible, of a size that can accommodate the anticipated levels of attendance and situated within areas affected by the RLDP. While this is not always possible, the Council is confident that the public consultation periods, dates and locations were well selected and encouraged participation in the RLDP.

Regulation 15 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development Plan) (Wales) Regulations 2005 (as amended) requires the Council to publish its pre deposit proposals (Preferred Strategy) for public inspection and consultation before finally determining the content of the Deposit RLDP. The Preferred Strategy was published in December 2023, after a period of pre-deposit plan preparation and engagement. The Preferred Strategy set out the Vision, Issues, Objectives and broad spatial strategy for the Vale of Glamorgan. The Preferred Strategy was not the final RLDP, and did not include all of the detailed policies, land use proposals or infrastructure required to support development.

An Initial Consultation Report was prepared to outline how the Vale of Glamorgan Council undertook public participation and consultation on the Preferred Strategy, thereby fulfilling Regulation 16a of the LDP Regulations (as amended). The report identified the steps taken to publicise plan preparation as well as the consultation methods used, who was consulted, summaries of the main issues raised, how the representations received would be addressed and how this key period of consultation would influence development of the Deposit RLDP. The Initial Consultation Report included a commitment to request that the site promoters undertake informal engagement on placemaking with local communities to inform the masterplanning of these sites.

The Council therefore undertook a range of engagement activities prior to the Deposit Plan stage. This included consultation on the Preferred Strategy and targeted engagement exercises such as the Housing Growth in Barry consultation, which provided additional opportunities for residents to comment on potential development options before the Deposit Plan was prepared. Placemaking and community engagement sessions were also undertaken in relation to the proposed key site allocations, with consultation reports produced to demonstrate how feedback informed the emerging proposals. Information arising from these engagement exercises was considered during the preparation of the Deposit Plan.

On the 30th of September 2024 the RLDP Initial Consultation Report was considered and agreed at a meeting of Full Council. In agreeing the Initial Consultation Report, Full Council endorsed the actions set out within the document and granted approval to use the Preferred Strategy as a basis for progression on to the next stage of RLDP preparation, the Deposit Plan.

The process and justification for identifying the site at North West Barry was set out in the Housing Growth in Barry consultation and is also addressed in the Council’s response to comments made on the HG1 KS1 allocation. The Housing Growth in Barry Report of Public Consultation was published as part of the Deposit Plan public consultation as part of the supporting information for the site. This sets out the consultation methods used, the key issues raised and highlights that that the session at Millwood Bowling Club on Tuesday 24th June 2025 was attended by VOG Planning Officers as well as representatives from Persimmon Homes (the site promoters for Land at North West Barry) and their consultant team, who were available to answer specific questions in respect of transport, landscape, drainage, ecology and design. This is consistent with the approach taken with the other key sites which allowed placemaking and community engagement before the Deposit Plan consultation. A consultation event was also held in Barry Memorial Hall in February 2026 as part of the Deposit Plan consultation which provided another opportunity of community engagement specific to Barry.

Representations have suggested that proposed allocations have been predetermined. This is not the case. Sites identified within the Deposit Plan are proposed allocations that have been assessed through the Plan-making process against a range of evidence and policy considerations. Following consultation, all representations are reviewed and considered by officers, and where appropriate, changes to the Plan may be recommended. Any proposed amendments will be documented and tracked prior to submission of the Plan to Welsh Government. Ultimately, it is the role of the independent Inspector to determine whether the RLDP is sound. All duly made representations will be available to the Inspector as part of that process.

In respect of alternative growth locations, a series of engagement workshops were held with stakeholders in January and February 2023 to inform the growth and spatial options taken forward and identified in the Preferred Strategy. This process is set out in BP1 Engagement Report Volume 1. The Sustainable Transport Oriented Growth option was considered to be the most suitable, and best accords with national planning policy. Additionally, the Council published the full Candidate Site Register and the assessment of each candidate site at both the Preferred Strategy and Deposit Plan stages as part of the consultation process. This information set out the assessment for every site and the reasons why sites were either allocated or not allocated in the Plan. Individuals were able to submit representations on any candidate site and its assessment during the consultation period.

The Council also notes comments regarding transparency and democratic accountability. The preparation of the RLDP has followed the statutory requirements established by Welsh Government and all decisions relating to progression of the Plan have been considered through the Council's democratic processes. Consultation reports have been prepared and reported to Council at key stages of the process, setting out the issues raised and how they have informed the Plan. The Council have also published representations received as part of the consultation process in accordance with statutory requirements and data protection legislation. The requirement to publish certain respondent details was clearly explained within the consultation forms and associated guidance.

Following consideration of all duly made representations, the Council will publish a Consultation Report which will set out who was consulted, the key issues raised and how the Council considers each representation should be addressed. The Plan and its supporting documentation, including the Consultation Report, will be considered by Full Council for approval to submit it to the Welsh Government, who will arrange for an Independent Planning Inspector to be appointed to examine the Plan.

Overall, the Council considers that significant efforts were made throughout the RLDP process to ensure that the consultation was fair, transparent and accessible and provided a range of opportunities for individuals and organisations to engage with, understand and comment on the emerging Plan. All representations received will be carefully considered as part of the ongoing plan preparation process before the RLDP is submitted for independent examination. The Council considers that the statutory consultation requirements have been satisfied and that the consultation undertaken was proportionate to the scope, scale and purpose of the RLDP. Accordingly, no further consultation events are considered necessary, particularly in relation to developments in neighbouring authority areas, such as Cardiff Bay, which lie outside the Vale of Glamorgan administrative boundary. The Council is therefore satisfied that the consultation has been undertaken in accordance with the Delivery Agreement, Development Plans Manual and national planning policy requirements.