Gwrthwynebu
Ail Gynllun Datblygu Lleol Adneuo Diwygiedig Sir Gaerfyrddin
ID sylw: 5900
Derbyniwyd: 12/04/2023
Ymatebydd: Cllr. Ken Howell
Cydymffurfio â’r gyfraith? Heb nodi
Cadarn? Heb nodi
Observations:
• Each regulation is based on geography and existing development patterns. The “protection” of the
settlement image takes priority over the actual needs of local people.
• There is no provision at all for dwellings which are not Affordable Housing. Not all local people need
Affordable Housing, but they have Local Housing Needs for a variety of reasons.
• Small Settlements or Groups of Dwellings are common in our rural countryside. While needing to be “controlled”, exceptions should be possible where there is evidenced local need.
• Such exceptions should not be limited to Affordable Housing as many mature members of the community do not qualify. Older members of the community have a strong need to remain in their community for reasons of health, mental health and social interaction.
• Box-ticking to qualify for Local Needs does not always allow local people to express their unique needs or to argue their case outside the specific requirements.
• While Local Needs/Letting registers may confirm the needs of young families seeking housing, many members of the community who have local needs are excluded from housing registers.
• Retiring local farmers or other rural workers will not qualify for Affordable Housing in their life-long
community. No provision is possible for families or individuals who need to stay within their support network in Non-Defined Rural Settlements.
CONSIDERATIONS:
1. To prioritise the needs of the people and the community over the visual or conceptual image of the settlement.
2. To use the actual housing needs of applicants to drive the policy, not devise a policy which excludes the very housing needs it is intended to address.
3. To provide some capacity with the policy for those who do not qualify for Affordable Housing but whose needs are equally important.
4. To define what “too often” means in granting permissions in the open countryside, and consider the local needs of individuals above non-defined caps.
5. To consider the need within the community for young families, not only the need of a family to live in a location.
6. To provide a needs-assessment which is not exclusively a “box-ticking” exercise.
7. To prioritise matching the needs of individuals with the needs of the community over reducing numbers on Housing Registers.
Amend Plan
Whilst I fully agree with the proposals submitted by my colleague and fellow Councillor Carys Jones, I wish to submit that the allocation proposed for Drefach Felindre is limited and inadequate for the next ten years. In particular, the allocation of only three houses on the Waugilwen road should be doubled to six, which would accommodate future expansion of the village.
Submissions by Carys Jones - dealt with in another representation
The diversity of the County is recognised with regard given to housing in rural areas, and the value such areas play within the County. Within rural villages (Tier 4), and non-defined settlements, opportunities for new housing development may exist for proponents of appropriate residential proposals.
However, affordable housing proposals will be required to submit evidence demonstrating the specific local need and ensure that the proposal provides for the size, type and tenure of houses required. The Revised LDP provides sufficient flexibility within the Local Need definition to allow new development in the correct circumstances.
Recognition must be given to other policies within the plan relating to landscape character, amenity so as not to allow unacceptable development within the open countryside