The Development Planning Team Leader presented a report, the purpose of which, was to inform the Members (of the LDP Steering Group) of the Candidate Site Stage 1 Assessment attached at Appendix 1 of the report.

The report gave some background information, following which it confirmed that the Candidate Site Assessment Methodology was consulted on

informally before landowners, developers and the public were asked to nominate ‘Candidate Sites’ for consideration for inclusion within the Replacement Bridgend Local Development Plan (LDP). The first stage of assessment has been completed and involved the consideration of submitted Candidate Sites to determine whether they had potential to support the LDP Preferred Strategy. The next Stage (Stage 2)

would involve further detailed assessment of sites that were considered to satisfy Stage 1 assessment. Following completion of Stage 2, the Council intended to seek the views of a limited number of specific consultation bodies in respect of those sites which will be considered suitable for future development and possible allocation in the Deposit LDP. Finally, a list of sites will be identified for inclusion within the Deposit LDP, acknowledging the conclusions drawn from Stage 2 and comments received from Stage 3.

Stage 1 of the Candidate Site Assessment evaluated, in broad terms, the sites that have the potential to support the Preferred Strategy spatially. It is acknowledged that in order to deliver the Preferred Strategy, future growth will need to be directed to the most appropriate and sustainable locations at a scale that will not undermine the Regeneration and Sustainable Growth Strategy.

As documented within the 2019 Settlement Assessment, Bridgend was classified as the Primary Key Settlement, along with five additional Main Settlements which include the Valleys Gateway, Porthcawl, Maesteg, Pencoed and the grouped settlement of Pyle, Kenfig Hill and North Cornelly. All six of these settlements demonstrate a strong employment function with an existing concentration of businesses plus a notable variety of shopping and community services. However, the Valleys Gateway specifically has accommodated substantial growth in recent years and there are now capacity issues running north to south at Junction 36 of the M4. This issue substantially hampers the area’s potential to accommodate any significant growth until it is resolved. Therefore, the remaining four Main Settlements and the Primary Key Settlement of Bridgend are considered, by the Preferred Strategy, to be the most sustainable environments to accommodate future growth and will therefore continue to be the main focus of future planned development, the scale and type of which will need to be in line with their individual infrastructures, economies, characters and constraints.

Finally, the Development Planning Team Leader confirmed that to assess compatibility with the Preferred Strategy, Candidate Sites have been scrutinised based on the two questions detailed in paragraph 4.4 of the report. Following consideration of these, all Candidate Sites that were considered capable of satisfying Stage 1 of the assessment progressed to Stage 2. Sites that failed Stage 1 of the assessment were detailed in the Candidate Site Assessment Report (ie Appendix 1 to the covering report.)

RESOLVED:              That the Committee, in its capacity as the LDP Steering Group, noted the content of the Candidate Site Stage 1 Assessment.