The Group is fully committed to the promotion of, and the ethos underpining the inspiration for, the transition towns movement, both here in the UK and internationally. In particular, we are gravely concerned to intiate and foster the kind of life-style and community changes, with respect to such issues as local food growing, local waste re-use and re-cycling and local food wastes composting, which we perceive as forming an essential need – if we are to sucessfully meet the future demands upon our society, due to the combined effects and synergies of global climate change, post peak oil economics and macro-economic system reform.

In this regard we are gravely concerned about the lack of policy provision appearing in the Deposit Draft version of the LDP, as that bears on the opportunity to promote land uses for environmentally friendly uses which will be needed in future in order to contribute to the sustainability of our society and our communities. The following three matters are the ones which we picked out as of particular importance, but are by no menas intended to be a comprehensive list. Click on the link to view our formal submission on the topic concerned :

No provision specifically locally based community composting

Provision for land used for waste recycling is geared to large scale district facilities only.

No provision for pro-active promotion of land for allotments

Two further documents are referred to in this submission as follows :

Letter from M. Dunne to Group in 2005

Article in The Independent about need for allotments 2008

The following documents were also used as a part of our oral submissions

Newport Allotments submission to NAW Sustainability Committee Inquiry (2010)

Pembs County Council submissions to NAW Sustainability Committee Inquiry (2010)

A Place to Grow (School of Social Sciences King’s College London UNiversity)

Yveline Armstrong’s Experience in Narbeth

Under this heading we have identified three areas which concern us most of all. But this is not to say that there are not further areas which we very much agree need radical re-thinking by the NPA. In particular, having attended at the General Housing Policy Issues day at the Enquiry Centre (the E-Commerce Building on Cleddau Reach in Llanion East, Pembroke Dock) we whole-heartedly endorse the concerns of many other groups that the very ambitious percentage of affordable housing requirements set out by the NPA in the plan, always at least 50%, often 70% as in here in Newport, and sometimes even higher, have not be subjected to any form of external or independent ‘viability’ analysis. In particular this would involve the NPA getting together with Pembrokeshire house builders, Social Sector Landlords (e.g. Housing Associations etc.) and landowners of the sites proposed by them for housing, to “crunch the numbers”, in order to establish at the least the financial viability of their proposals. This has not been done.

In addition the following three main areas concern the Group with respect to generally the lack of policy based provision, especially as compared to the existing planning situation under the current local development plan the JUDP (Joint Unitary Development Plan 2006).

See our written submissions on each topic  here (a brief outline summary appears beneath the link).

No policy provision for replacement housing development.

Given our recent experience here in Newport with respect to the notorious replacement dwelling house at Bettws Newydd, on the Parrog, it should be obvious to all why the Group was horrified to discern that the LDP, which will replace the JUDP, proposes to set out no equivalent Policy provision on this topic to replace the existing Policy 56. Without that policy provision in the current local plan, the campaign to oppose the massively over-sized replacement dwelling at Bettws Newydd, representing the overwhelming majority view of the community, would surely have had no chance whatever of succeeding.

No policy provision for in-fill and rounding-off within settlement centres

It is simply irrational that whilst the NPA proposes to make some, albeit inadequate, re-iteration of the current JUDP policies on the development of so-called ‘in-fill’ and ’rounding-off’ sites in countryside settlments, where the settlement character or size does not warrant a so called boundary ‘centre-line’; it proposes no such re-iteration in relation to similar such developments proposed within settlements with centre-lines, where as a matter of common sense such proposals are bound to be much more frequent.

No or inadequate policy provision on buildings conversions.

The proposed re-iteration of the policy provisions, in the current JUDP, on the vexed subject of the appropriate criterion for permitting building conversions, most especially conversion of non-domestic (typically work related and business use buildings) in the countryside to residential use instead, which are volumious, is proposed for only a bare sentence or two in the new plan. In particular, the very strong requirement in the current plan, for a proposal for conversion to a residential use to come forward only after a business or employment use has been proven to be unavailable, will now be dropped in favour of a preference for residential use favouring affordable housing instead. Whilst, of course, we strongly favour a large proportion of new housing being for affordable needs, a policy of promoting affordable housing conversion in the countryside with no associate viability analysis, or related employment criterion is clearly woefully inadequate.

Naturally in addition to engaging with the LDP public consultation process as it directly affects us here in Newport, the Group has also sought to make its views known, so far as concerns the General Policy provisions of the NPA as are set out in the current statutory Deposit Draft Version of the LDP.

These submissions divide broadly into two areas : those concerned with housing policies, and those concerned with environmental and sustainability issues. Below you will find links to two articles setting out our formal submissions in both of these areas.

Housing Policy Provisions

Environmental Policy Provisions

The special session of the LDP (Local Development Plan) inquiry, dealing with only Newport Related Issues, was held on Thursday 22nd April 2010, in the Memorial Hall in town.

The principal issues examined were the sites in town, proposed and/or supported by the local planning authority (the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority : “NPA”), for allocation for the future siting of new residential housing development in the town (principally subject to a 70% affordable housing criterion) :?as against those alternate sites, which have been proposed by the local community council (the Newport Town Council “NTC”), and other individuals in the town, which have been rejected by the NPA.

The Inspector’s name was Mr. Juniper, and he has been appointed by the Welsh Planning Inspectorate which answers to the Welsh Assembly Government (“WAG”). He is expected to be able to report on his conclusions as to the “soundness” of the current NPA Deposit Draft version of the LDP by the end of the summer. His recommendations will then have to be considered formally by the NPA before adopting a final LDP, which finally must itself be submitted to WAG for approval, before becoming effective.

Alas, only those who last year submitted written representation and specifically box ticked to speak were entitled to address the inquiry, but the audience was open to the general public, and more than 25 local people came to witness the proceedings. In the afternoon the enquiry moved on to consider matters related to Dinas. The following attended to represent the local views in Newport, and generally in opposition to the NPA recommendations:

The following attended to represent the local views in Newport, and generally in opposiotion to the NPA recommendations:

Cllrs. Paul Harries & James Davies (for NTC) Dr Alan Griffiths (formerly of Cafe Fleur) and Ms Ros McGarry (Dan y Mynydd, Feidr Bentick) for the residents in and around Feidr Bentick and in opposition to the Bentick Developments proposals Mr Geraint John (Solicitor – Savills Agent) for Matthew Baker Caravans and the Meyrick Family? and Ms Vivien Carter (for the Caravan Users Group) Mr Reg Atkinson (Chair) for the Newport Memorial Hall Committee.

The Developer wishing to build on the site to the North of Feidr Eglwys (Bentick Developments Inc.) who enjoy the support and recommendation of the NPA were represnted by Mr Mark Robert (RPS Planning Agents)

Whilst, the NPA itself was principally represented by Ms.Sarah Middleton (Forward Planning) and Mr Steve Morgan (Statistical Officer) with Mr. Peter Sedgewick in attendance.

We, of course, were represented by myself (Robbie Manson) with essential assistance from Sandra Bayes (Vice Chair).

To see the various site allocations considered up to and included in the so-called ‘Changes Consultation’ stage refer to this map:

Newport Map (All Sites):

Alternately you may download the following Google Earth Overlay File (“.kmz” file) if you have GE and see all of the Newport Associated allocations and other issues arising under the LDP process.

Newport LDP file.

To see only the sites that went forward for consideration at the Inquiry into the Deposit Draft see this map:

Newport Map (inquiry Stage Sites) :

A copy of the formal written submission made on behalf of NAEG dealing with the Newport aspects only of the LDP process are listed here:

[1] Centre line boundary

[2]  Parrog Hill Area Site Allocations

[3] Feidr Bentick & Feidr Eglwys Sites

[4] Other Issues

Renewable energy policies

As a Group we are committed to lobbying for changes to government policies (at UK, Welsh and County/Park level) to enable and promote a greater reliance on meeting our future energy needs on an increasingly local and renewably generated basis.

In this regard we engage fully with the consultations and debate in recent years concerning the planning rules on the installation of so-called ‘domestic-scale’ renewable energy technology micro-generation installation. This is a fancy way of referring to things like solar heating panels and small-scale wind turbines on a house-holder scale and also includes photovoltaic electricity panels, ground sourced heat pumps, micro-hydro and domestic scale CHP systems.

Our most significant lobbying success to date has probably been to seek a more liberal planning regime in favour of the installation of domestic scale solar heating panels here in Wales than pertains in England. Until as recently as September last (2008) the position in Wales on the thorny issue of when does a householder need to apply for planning permission to install roof mounted solar panels was not only very confused, with different local planning authorities applying different interpretation to the law; but we also didn’t have the benefit of the purpose made provisions, introduced in England as long before as April the previous year (2007), which made specific exemptions in favour of certain technologies. Now, at last, Ms Davidson (Welsh Environment Minister) has introduced the same legislation in Wales, but a little better in that it permits the installation of roof mounted solar panels (without the need of specific planning permission) even if the property is in a Buildings Conservation Area and the roof is visible from the highway.