Amend the Plan to include the site.

This document supports the promotion of Land at Spring Gardens, Whitland. The Site would
represent a contribution to existing housing need and anticipated demand associated with the
new hospital site being delivered in the area.

The Spatial Strategy identifies a settlement hierarchy to meet the identified housing
requirement of 8,882 new homes. The strategy furthermore recognises the role employment
plays in creating a prosperous County – with appropriate growth of housing with jobs and
employment opportunities. This Strategy has been informed by a number of ongoing
assessments, through various stages leading up to its publication.
At Preferred Strategy stage (published December 2018) it was determined that a strategic
growth option based upon a ‘Population Growth Long Term’ scenario would be the most
appropriate option for the authority area. This was promoted by the authority on the basis that
it would best assist in delivering the Plan’s Vision and Strategic Objectives, driving sustainable
housing growth and supporting the economic ambitions of the county. This scenario equated to
a need over the revised LDP period for 9,887 dwellings on the basis of the variant vacancy rate.
These figures were based upon a Population and Household Forecast Paper published by Edge
Analytics in October 2018 on behalf of the LPA in order to inform the Preferred Strategy, when
NHS plans for a new super-hospital on the Pembrokeshire-Carmarthenshire border were at an
early formative stage, and consequently were not accounted for within the forecast.
The Population and Household Forecast Paper was updated by Edge Analytics in September
2019 to inform the 1
st Deposit rLDP, which updated housing requirement scenarios in light of
new evidence, including Carmarthenshire’s 2018 mid-year population estimate and the
consultation on the then draft National Development Framework. Again, however this did not
account for any growth associated with the new super-hospital.
In February 2023 the LPA published a Population and Household Topic Paper to inform the 2nd
Deposit rLDP, which utilised data from a Housing and Economic Growth Paper prepared by
Turley (with the support of Edge Analytics). This provided an updated analysis of housing need,
reflecting the “WG 2018-based sub national population and household projections, in addition
to other population estimated published since the first Deposit Revised LDP”. Despite, however,
the fact that the location for the new super-hospital had, by this stage, been narrowed down to
just three sites within a 5-mile area (2 in Whitland, and 1 in St Clears), the implications of the
hospital on housing need/growth was not a consideration in the adjustments to the figures.
Policy SP 1 projects a target of 9,704 new homes to meet the identified housing requirement of
8,822, informed by the above assessments. The aim of Policy SP 1 is to facilitate the delivery of
new homes in sustainably located areas. The assessments which informed these projected
figures were undertaken before the implementation of the hospital was confirmed in the area.
Therefore, the housing need is greater than what is identified, and the distribution of housing
should furthermore be directed to sustainably located areas near the hospital.
Supporting text 11.11 of Policy SP 1 states that:
“by ensuring that our housing growth requirements are reflective of, and are in support of our
economic ambitions, it allows for a co-ordinated and integrated approach to ensure that the
shared role for economic growth is not in isolation of housing and vice a versa.”
It has been acknowledged that the search for a suitable location for the new hospital has made
progress since the publication of the Preferred Strategy. The search has narrowed down to only
three sites, all situated within a 5-mile radius of the promotion site.
Two of these locations are within a very close proximity to the development site (See fig.1 and
fig. 2 below). Considering the significant potential for job creation throughout both
construction and operation that the hospital is expected to bring, it is imperative that the LDP
can provide adequate levels of new homes in sustainable locations near the hospital.

The inclusion and delivery of this housing allocation would make a significant contribution to
the critical objectives of Camarthenshire County Borough Council and overreaching aims of
Policy SP 1. The proposed development site is capable of accommodating around 9 new
dwellings, which are sustainably located, and easily accessible from all of the three potential
employment sites. The proposed scheme would serve to promote economic growth for the
local community, while simultaneously maximising employment prospects that prioritise Active
Travel as a fundamental principle.
Strategic Policy SP3 outlines a settlement framework for the sustainable distribution of
residential development.
Fig. 3 Settlement Framework
Supporting paragraph 11.72 states that:
“The settlement framework will, in conjunction with specific policies, also guide the
consideration of appropriate sustainable locations - with access to services and facilities - and
scale of other developments (including employment).”
The proposed site has been classified as a Tier 2 Service Centre Settlement within Cluster 6 of
the spatial plan. The primary focus of new development will be directed towards the upper
tiers of this settlement hierarchy. The necessity for residential developemnt in St. Clears, in
order to be designated as a Tier 2 Service Centre was established through evidence of
anticipated growth in the region, taking into account known employment growth levels. This
was assessed before the hospital's implementation was confirmed. Thus, the inclusion and
implementation of the hospital in this location has subsiquently intensified the need for
residential development in the area further than what is identified within the Revised Local
Developement Plan.
Considering the current housing demand, the proposed site is a suitable location to aid in
supplying more high quality homes to meet the increasing demand as a result of the hospital
development. The promotion of this site for residential development would be consistent with
the Preferred Strategy and support the planned growth of Carmarthenshire and Whitland.


See Candidate Site Representation Document
See 2nd Deposit Plan LDP Supporting Document