Foreword
As Executive Board Member for Regeneration and Leisure, I am pleased to present the Carmarthenshire Local Development Plan (LDP) as adopted by the County Council on December 10 2014.
Whilst taking account of national plans, policies and programmes, the Carmarthenshire LDP provides a locally distinctive means of shaping the future use of land within our County. As such, the Plan takes account of our County’s unique characteristics and qualities and it gives me pleasure to see the emphasis placed on sustainable development as a central principle. I am also pleased to note the close working relationship that the Plan demonstrates with the Integrated Community Strategy.
In noting that the LDP is one of only two plans that the Authority is statutorily obliged to produce, I consider that this Plan provides a robust mechanism for delivering the Council’s ambitions over the coming years. I particularly welcome the Plan’s recognition of the importance of promoting a sustainable distribution of growth and regeneration within the context of approaches in regional working.
The LDP considers a wide range of issues and presents a vision for the future of the County. The Plan’s Strategy will help realise this vision by identifying the level and distribution of growth and development needed in accordance with the diverse character of the County’s communities. The Plan will deliver its Strategy via the implementation of a range of policies and land use allocations, including provision for new homes and employment over the plan period. I also note that the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) have both provided important roles within the Plan making process and that all regulatory requirements have been adhered to.
The LDP has been subject to a rigorous independent Examination and I warmly welcome the Inspector’s report. Furthermore, the preparation of the LDP was informed by extensive consultation, and to this end I would like to note my gratitude to those of you that provided valuable assistance in terms of evidence gathering, consultation feedback and participation in the Examination.
My thoughts now turn to the delivery of the Plan, and in this respect I would refer to the statutory requirements placed upon the Authority in terms of Monitoring and Review along with the production and adoption of Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG). Such SPG provides an opportunity to consolidate and elaborate upon the policies and provisions of this Plan and I personally place particular importance on the production of site specific guidance to developers in the form of development briefs.
Cllr Meryl Gravell
Executive Board Member for Regeneration and Leisure