Local Devel. Plans
We understand that the following letter has been sent to the NPT CBC Plaaning Department. It is published here for everyone to be aware of the issues.
Dear Sir,
I am writing to you in my capacity as Chairman of the Bryncoch Action Committee. On Saturday August 15th we held a meeting in the Bryncoch Community centre to inform residents of the current status, and the importance to them, of the LDP.
The presentation included a summary of the LDP process and the original timetable that accompanied it, both taken from your LDP website. We took time to explain what was meant by the term Candidate site.We also showed a slide of your map of each candidate site in the Bryncoch/Leiros Park Area, and a date of entry onto your consultation website, together with a slide showing all of the candidate sites in Bryncoch and another for Rhos. In addition we included a map of the 2000 home village extension considered, and rejected by the council during the UDP process, together with the reasons for rejection given to the UDP inspector.
Despite being held during the holiday period the meeting was very well attended, with the centre filled to capacity with a whole cross section of villagers. A clear indication of the concern the local community has with regards to the LDP
Following the presentation we opened the floor to comments and questions of clarification. I have attempted to represent those concerns and issues below:-
1) It was clear that the council’s attempts to make the public aware of the LDP process and their ability to take part in the consultation process had been woefully ineffective. A number of people raised concerns that they had no idea that the LDP process was ongoing, let alone that an extensive number of candidate sites had been proposed in the local area. They were not aware of the council website area devoted to the LDP. Older people in particular have very limited access to this type of information dissemination.
2) The requirement to comment by Aug 31st – during the holiday period - provoked a lot of criticism. At the meeting we stated that we felt it important to do as much as we could within that timeframe. Although pleased that we now understand that comments can be made to the end of September – without publicity it will be ineffective.
3) There was general concern that the community’s views to further expansion of Leiros Park and Bryncoch had been made as recently as 2007/8. Indeed the Leiros park extension had been rejected by the inspector, and the greater part of the current Pant Glas farm area rejected by the authority. The Local community clearly retains its objection to consideration of these sites.
4) A number of the candidate sites are situated on currently designated green wedge land. The importance of green wedge land to local communities cannot be over emphasised. They clearly want it retained to protect the nature of their communities. Representatives of Cimla and Alltwen resident groups who attended the meeting raised similar concerns. This is clearly an issue that the council must consider carefully in its assessment of candidate sites. It is an issue which unites all communities.
5) Having a clearly defined Local Development Plan is essential, but development should never result in communities losing their identity and what makes them the places in which the residents want to live.
6) The council’s Biodiversity Action Plan has received much attention and publicity, the loss of green wedge inevitably reduces biodiversity. It is clear, for instance, that efforts to protect hedgerows in previous developments in the area have failed disastrously. Residents expressed concerns of the effect of large scale developments on our local area which needs to be preserved for future generations.
7) Our local roads are already heavily congested and clogged especially at peak times. Traffic problems at the bottom of Pen-y-Wern hill are a major concern to all residents. They are
a headache for drivers who use this route. The traffic along the A474 is growing continually – the number of accidents is rising. Indeed only a couple of months ago the residents of Green Hedges raised a petition to protest against the volume and speed of the traffic on the road outside their homes. Extensive development in Bryncoch or Alltwen will only make a bad situation worse.
7) The deteriorating position on Pen-y-Wern hill has led to a “rat run” of traffic trying to make a short cut to Neath Abbey in the morning along Farmers road. These country lanes are entirely unsuitable for their current levels of traffic.
8) It was felt that should development be allowed along the A474 corridor this will be the start of ribbon development along the whole of the valley, which the council has rejected in the past, and quite rightly so.
9) The enlargement of the quarry is a particular worry – the extension will have a deleterious effect on the landscape.
10) People raised concerns as to the loss of large areas of agriculturally productive land. The meeting was taking place in a week when the government’s own white paper predicted a significant shortfall in the country’s ability to be self sufficient in food production even by 2020.
We have concerns with the following text taken from the LDP website:-
There will be another short (6week) period when candidate sites can be suggested early in 2010 (details will be posted on this website). But work on assessing the sites and preparing the LDP will gather pace during this Autumn. Unless a further site is small and would have only a local impact anyone intending submitting a further site should contact the LDP team ……to discuss it as early as possible.
This seems to suggest that such sites will be assessed this autumn without the opportunity for the communities to comment. Is this the case? If so it seems to negate the process so far. It seems vital that communities continue to be made aware of new candidate sites and be given the opportunity to comment prior to their assessment.
It was also noted that no additional period for candidate sites was part of the original timetable. What has changed? Indeed your own plan (Stage2) – was originally due to be completed by March 9th.
The importance of the Local Development Plan cannot be underestimated for the future residents in NPTBC. Meetings already organised by concerned local people across the area have clearly demonstrated that communities want to have their say on issues that may have a dramartic effect on how their futures are shaped. We call on NPTCBC to give local people the chance to raise their concerns with Local Councillors and those directly involved in the planning process at aseries of LDP meetings to be held across the area. Only in that way do we feel that the comments of the local communities will have a chance to be fully discussed and understood. I am sure that the communities would be only too pleased to be involved, given the chance.
STEVE GRIFFITHS
CHAIRMAN, BRYNCOCH ACTION COMMITTEE
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