Diolch, Llywydd. The quality of the places where people live and work has a direct impact on well-being. It is vital that people can walk from their homes to work, to the shops, doctors' surgeries and schools their families use without having to get in their cars. This has a positive impact on mental and physical health, as well as reducing emissions and improving air quality. Access to services by walking, cycling or using public transport must be a key consideration.

In thinking about any new development we must also look at how the design or layout will affect the residents' daily lives. Our green spaces, which improve health and well-being, and provide habitats for flora and fauna, must also be considered. Placemaking is the way to bring these issues together to create sustainable, thriving communities. Placemaking embraces the principles of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, and puts it at the forefront of discussions that affect the built environment.

As we all know, none of this is easy. There are many competing interests to think about. The planning system is integral to balancing these interests. We must ensure we build high-quality developments that have a positive impact on the economy, the environment and our communities. We must manage new development in the public interest.

Placemaking is essential. It must become the central feature of our planning system. To achieve this we must focus on outcomes rather than simply counting the number of homes we build or how long it takes to determine a planning application. These things are still important, however, we need to consider quality as well as quantity. The Welsh Government is leading on this issue. The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act sets a template for public organisations to consider sustainable communities and placemaking. We've revised 'Planning Policy Wales' to put placemaking at the heart of our national planning policy. It clearly states the consideration of creating good places must be done early in LDP development and the design of individual schemes. Consultation on the draft PPW closes on Friday, and I look forward to reading the responses. I will publish the final policy in the autumn.

I'm pleased the draft document has been welcomed across sectors, particularly when compared to policy across the border. In a recent comparison between draft PPW and draft English planning policy, Hugh Ellis, director of policy in the Town and Country Planning Association, commented positively. He said England had fallen very far behind the ambition and competence of the Welsh in developing coherent policy with strong objectives and outcomes identified.

The national development framework raises our ambitions for effective placemaking. It will look at what infrastructure and strategic policies are needed to shape Wales. I'm currently seeking views on the preferred option for the NDF and the policy direction it should take in leading major development decisions in Wales for the next 20 years. Consultation on this continues until July.

An adopted local development plan is essential for a planning authority to express its vision for an area. Where issues are complicated, impacting on a number of authorities, a strategic approach to placemaking through strategic development plans may also be necessary. This whole package of planning policies at the national, strategic and local levels must work together to ensure we achieve placemaking on the ground through consistent decisions on planning applications that help to create a better place. To achieve our placemaking ambition we need local authority planning departments to be adequately resourced. This should include individuals from the wide array of the built environment professions, including planners, designers, ecologists, conservationists and regeneration officers.

I continue to support local planning authorities' work with the planning advisory service to fully understand their costs. I'm committed to moving toward full cost recovery with increased application fees retained to improve delivery of planning services. I'm currently supporting work by the Royal Town Planning Institute to produce a toolkit to better understand the value the planning system brings to an area, and will be announcing the results for Wales next month. The toolkit will allow each local authority to estimate the value generated by the planning system for their area, and meet the case for increased resources. We must work together to achieve a shared vision of what Wales can be like in the future, where people and placemaking are put at the centre of our decisions on development. I look forward to hearing Members' views on this important topic this afternoon.