7. Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee Debate on the National Development Framework

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:12 pm on 25 November 2020.

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Photo of Mike Hedges Mike Hedges Labour 5:12, 25 November 2020

Diolch, Llywydd. Can I thank Members who've taken part in the debate? And I'd also like to again thank the Minister.

I don't think anybody agrees with 100 per cent of it, but lots of us like bits of it, and I think that's what you end up with with a document this size. This is important to everyone in Wales.

To reply to Mark Reckless, we have one day left, because, when we're on recess, it doesn't count against the 60 days.

The vision of four regions in Wales is driven by the local authorities in Wales, not by Westminster. This includes, as Julie James said, Plaid Cymru-controlled Ceredigion. They see a community of interest in terms of their local development. The city deals and regional deals are aimed at improving the local economy and the strategic development plan has to support them. We want this to work. It's the jobs of our children and our grandchildren we're talking about.

Post-war Wales has seen growth in the north and south Wales coast. That has been driven by the private sector. The likelihood is that the private sector is going to drive any growth in the future. I'm disappointed that people who I would describe as Welsh unionists do not accept the regions of Wales—hugely disappointed in that, because I really believe in the importance of the south-west Wales region, which is not dissimilar to one of the ancient kingdoms. Green belts are hugely important, but I was going to say that green wedges, stopping communities merging, are more important in lots of areas where you don't want the different villages to merge together, or, within urban areas, you don't want the different communities to merge together.

The SSI protected against development; I think that's something that there is general agreement on. We need all plans to cover the same areas. We've had a history in Wales of every Minister developing their own footprint, and that has not necessarily worked for the benefit of anybody. I used to describe Swansea and Neath Port Talbot as Janus-like, because sometimes we looked to the east and sometimes we looked to the west.

I think Helen Mary Jones made some very good points on the Welsh language, and all these plans should fit together. We shouldn't have this plan here and that plan there, and, 'Well, they're nothing to do with each other because they come from different silos within Welsh Government.' They should all fit together.

We need the national development plan and strategic development plans to fit together as well, but there's something else that to me is really important—that we actually realise that the sea and the land meet. I know we've talked about that in our committee quite a lot, but it really is important that the marine plan fits in with the national development plan rather than being seen as something entirely different.

Energy is always controversial: onshore wind or offshore wind, nuclear or gas power—all have supporters and opponents, often in the same party. We need an energy debate, and I think sometimes parties could do with their own energy debates, but I think we need to see where we're going with energy. I think, generally, this is a good document and the four regions work, and I think it's going to work for the economic benefit of Wales. They might not fit into everybody's idea of how they would like things to be, but they fit into my view of how it's going to be. Thank you.