New Housing Developments

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Climate Change – in the Senedd at 2:07 pm on 22 June 2022.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 2:07, 22 June 2022

Yes, so, I write to planning authorities all the time reinforcing various parts of ‘Planning Policy Wales’. We also have a planning officers forum and I’m very shortly to meet—I’m afraid I just can’t remember off the top of my head when—with the new cabinet members who are responsible for planning right across local government, as all authorities have now formed their new cabinets. I’ll be meeting with the leaders and the relevant cabinet members to reinforce how we work and what they should do. We’ve also asked all of our planning authorities to look again at their local development plan process, and you’ll be aware that my colleague Rebecca Evans is bringing forth the regulations to enable the new corporate joint committees to do the regional strategic planning arrangements, which will allow us to put the infrastructure in place at that regional level. So, the local authority will have to work regionally to ensure that across the region there are sufficient—well, all of the issues that you just raised.

So, the policy is strong already; they need to have regard to it. Obviously, if they don’t have regard to it, then they’re subject to challenge. But obviously I can’t comment on the individual application.