Monmouthshire County Council has agreed to submit the Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) to the Welsh Government and Planning and Environment Decision Wales (PEDW) for independent examination.
The RLDP sets out the strategic vision for how land in Monmouthshire will be protected and developed over future years, shaping the county’s future of housing, infrastructure, employment, as well as providing “robust” protection for 99.7% of the land that will not be available for development.
The council said the plan reflects extensive public consultation and policy development over the past five years. Repeatedly in 2021, 2022 and 2024, the public has been consulted as the plans have evolved, it added.
Monmouthshire County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development, Cllr Paul Griffiths, said:
“This Plan will allow a new future for Monmouthshire over the coming decades. In the recent past, new housing has been unaffordable for young people who want to live and work in our county. This plan will provide the housing that keeps young people in the county, working for businesses and services that we all need.
“We have spent five years engaging and listening to local people. Many development sites have been debated, and many have been rejected. Those now chosen can now be designed to the highest standard – attractive, sustainable homes, well landscaped into open public spaces with walking routes into towns and villages.
“The limited amount of land now made available for new housing and new businesses will allow protection for all other land, and create an exciting future for a younger Monmouthshire with even more successful businesses. The new housing will all have solar panels and will produce more energy than they consume. The new housing will be integrated into existing towns and villages, allowing our wonderful towns a vibrant future.”
The RLDP will now be submitted to the Welsh Government for independent examination before formal adoption.
