Looking through this framework, I quite enjoy the quality of the document and some of the maps; it's quite interesting to read. But a few things struck me. One thing I'd quote. It says:

'Clear decisions should be made on the scale and location of growth through the preparation of a Strategic Development Plan'.

It's a very statist statement. It assumes that what we do, through this plan, is going to drive growth and determine where it is, whereas, actually, much, if not most, of that is going to reflect decisions made within the private sector. And I think a greater degree of humility in writing this and an understanding of how important private actors and their pursuit of profit are, compared to what we might like to put in a document such as this—ideally, the two should work together.

Within the section on south-east Wales, including the south central region for this purpose, we've got statements like:

'Cardiff will remain the primary settlement in the region, its future strategic growth shaped by its strong housing and employment markets and it will retain its capital city role'.

I'm not sure where that takes us. The next section, though, says:

'Strategic and Local Development Plans will need to consider the interdependence of Cardiff and the wider region.'

And that certainly is right. And what I was particularly struck with was with the local development plan, initially, at least, with Caerphilly and all that housing that was put up towards the boundary with Cardiff, and only road transport being available to take those people likely into jobs in Cardiff, and that wasn't joined up. We then have a statement:

'Cardiff relies on people from across the full region and ensuring communities around the Capital are vibrant, prosperous and connected helps to support Cardiff.'

Well, yes, perhaps, and, to the extent those areas are connected with Cardiff and we reinforce that further, clearly that will support Cardiff. But if those connections are elsewhere within the regions, they may not, and, if they're outside the region, not to Cardiff, then they may well not support Cardiff, or even take growth away. So, one example of that would be the Ebbw Vale line, and whether services on that should only come into Cardiff or we should also have at least one an hour to Newport. And if that then goes on to Cardiff, clearly, that—if you make one decision, it supports Cardiff growth more than another, where you may help in having more growth in Newport that might otherwise have been in Cardiff.

Similarly, the connections within the region outside the region also matter, and, to take Newport as an example, improving those connections to Bristol could have a really big benefit for Newport. But it's unlikely to support Cardiff to the same degree if it leads to a greater focus of the Newport economy towards Bristol rather than Cardiff, although, of course, we would prefer them to be complementary. We go on to say that investment should be

'located in the most accessible and sustainable locations within the context of the whole region', but what about the other regions, what about areas across our border in England? I heard Siân Gwenllian complain earlier about how this was far too much focused on east-west links and cross-border agglomerations, and, actually, I don't see that much of that. And, certainly, in the south-east Wales section, it doesn't appear to be mentioned. For instance, we say,

'Cardiff is currently experiencing a period of growth in population and employment, but the city cannot continue to expand indefinitely without major consequences for the environment. It is a compact city nearing its physical limits', and it's in that context that we then go on to say about Newport—or the Government does—in this document:

'The Welsh Government is determined to see development and growth in Newport, allowing the city to fulfil its potential as a second focal point for the region'.

So, of course, one reason Newport might grow is because of constraints on growth in Cardiff, but surely we need also to consider what are those constraints on growth in Bristol. And you see a much tighter green belt around Bristol, you see much higher levels of house prices and very significant constraints on development. So, at least for Newport and other areas near the border with England, we need to be focusing on how do we attract business from there in order to increase wealth and prosperity within the south-east region, and I don't think we are doing that sufficiently at the moment. However, I do give credit to the Welsh Government in the areas where—so, Help to Buy, about a quarter of the spend, at least, I think, has been on properties around Newport, many of which are being occupied by people who are then commuting to Bristol, albeit supporting the Welsh income tax base. Similarly, I think Ken Skates has worked very strongly on lobbying to improve services from Cardiff through Newport to Bristol, and, again, that would benefit the whole region.

So, although I think there are things Welsh Government are doing that are working cross border in supporting that growth, this document itself doesn't seem to do that to the same degree, and it seems very regionally focused within the sub bits, rather than looking for those opportunities to work across the border and drive prosperity for Wales. Thank you.