Candidate Site Assessment Methodology Consultation

6. Detailed Site Assessment / ISA Assessment Stage

6.0.1 A more detailed site assessment will be undertaken for all Candidate Sites which have passed through the initial site filter stage, this will include assessing them against the LPA's ISA objectives (See Appendix 1). The LPA is required to develop a comprehensive and systematic assessment methodology to fully assess Candidate Sites to determine whether they are sustainable, deliverable, and viable. This will be undertaken following the Preferred Strategy consultation and take account of consultee comments and any representations received.

6.0.2 To demonstrate the Replacement LDP is sound at Examination, the LPA will have to justify the criteria used to assess Candidate Sites proposals and associated site assessments. The Development Plans Manual (Edition 3) requires that the criteria used is in accordance with the principles of sustainable development and placemaking as set out in Planning Policy Wales (Edition 11).

6.0.3 The ISA will also provide documentation and a record of site assessment including a reasoned justification for site status (rejected, reasonable alternative or preferred). Candidate Sites will be rejected if they have no potential to be either a proposed site, or a reasonable alternative.

6.1 Detailed Site Assessment

6.1.1 The detailed site assessment stage of the Candidate Site process will commence after consultation on the Replacement LDP Preferred Strategy in May/June 2023 and will take account of any representations received. Any sites submitted that were rejected as part of the initial site filter will not be subject to the detailed site assessment and will not be considered for inclusion in the Replacement LDP.

6.1.2 The assessment criteria reflect the information requested on the Candidate Site Form, thereby enabling site proposers to identify whether a site is affected by one or more constraints/designations. Site proposers are required to provide supporting information explaining how the site can address any matters associated with the site. The LPA may request additional information from site proposers where necessary.

6.1.3 The information provided by each site proposer will be verified by the planning policy team, in consultation with other service areas of the Council and where necessary external organisations (such as: Welsh Government Highways, NRW, CPAT, infrastructure providers etc.)

6.1.4 The detailed site assessment criteria are split into the following categories:

• Location and accessibility
• Site context and character
• Accessibility and highway capacity
• Landscape and environmental impact
• Flood risk
• Mineral Safeguarding Areas/Buffer Zones
• Infrastructure capacity
• Delivery and viability
• Climate change, placemaking and biodiversity enhancement

6.1.5 A 'traffic light' scoring system will be used to identify which sites are more desirable against the detailed site assessment criteria and those sites which are less so, see Table 1.

Table 1. Detailed Site Assessment Scoring System.

6.2 Detailed Site Assessment Criteria

Location and Accessibility

6.2.1 Following the Replacement LDP Preferred Strategy consultation and taking into consideration any representations submitted, the Replacement LDP will consist of a Growth and Spatial Strategy and a Settlement Hierarchy.

6.2.2 Generally, higher order settlements in the Settlement Hierarchy provide the most sustainable locations for growth, due to the greater access to services and facilities they offer. Settlements in the lower tiers and the open countryside are likely to have poorer access to services and facilities the Spatial Strategy and the Settlement Hierarchy will provide guidance on where development growth should be distributed prioritising growth to the most sustainable locations (settlements higher up the settlement hierarchy) in the first instance.

6.2.3 Planning Policy Wales (Edition 11) states that in rural areas "local service centres, or clusters of smaller settlements where a sustainable functional linkage to a higher tier settlement (service centres) can be demonstrated, should be designated by local authorities as the preferred locations for most new development including housing and employment provision. The Preferred Strategy will take this requirement into consideration. In the meantime, significance will be given to smaller peripheral settlements on public transport routes where there is a clear functional linkage to a larger settlement acting as a service centre.

Table 2. Criterion 1: Preferred Strategy and Settlement Hierarchy - Housing

* A large site within the Replacement LDP is defined as five dwellings or more.

Table 3. Criterion 2: Preferred Strategy and Settlement Hierarchy – Employment / Retail

 

Table 4. Criterion 3: Relationship to Community Services / Facilities that have the Capacity to Support Growth.

^* 800 metres equates to ten-minute walking time.

⁺ Services and community facilities include but are not limited to: schools, doctors' surgeries, dentists, supermarkets, local shops, banks / building societies, pharmacies, petrol stations, village halls, community centres, churches, public houses, leisure centres etc…

Site Character and Context

6.2.4 This section considers the site character and context which includes considering whether the Candidate Site is on previously developed land or greenfield land (as defined in Planning Policy Wales (Edition 11). Planning Policy Wales requires LPAs to follow the Sequential Test and to consider previously developed land and/or underutilised sites located within existing settlements in the first instance, with sites on the edge of settlements considered thereafter. If no previously developed land is available, only then should consideration be given to suitable and sustainable greenfield sites within or on the edge of settlements.

6.2.5 Site character and context also considers factors such as whether topographical characteristics or physical development on the site may present an obstacle to development, whether or not there could be a potential adverse impact on the site from adjoining land uses and potential land contamination.

Table 5. Criterion 4: Previously Developed Land / Greenfield Land*.

* Note: The Sequential Test in terms of prioritising the use of previously developed land over the use of greenfield sites will be followed.

Table 6. Criterion 5: Topographical Characteristics* or Physical Development⁺ on the Site that May Present an Obstacle to Development.

* Topographical characteristics includes steep gradients and unstable land (submissions in areas of coal mining legacy will require consideration of coal mining information, mitigation maybe required (further information will be provided in a guidance note).

⁺ Physical development includes existing structures, mains gas or powerlines or overhead powerlines.

Table 7. Criterion 6: Adverse Impact on Amenity (Noise, Odour, Light or Dust Pollution) Arising from Potentially Conflicting Adjoining Land Uses*

* The agent of change principle (detailed in Planning Policy Wales Chapter 6) states that a business or person responsible for introducing a change is responsible for managing that change. This means a site proposer would have to ensure that solutions to address air quality or noise from nearby pre-existing infrastructure, businesses or venues can be found and implemented as part of ensuring development is acceptable.

Table 8. Criterion 7: Contaminated Land

Accessibility and Highway Capacity

6.2.6 National policy highlights the importance of sustainable placemaking ensuring that new developments have access to a range of services/ facilities by a range of transport means particularly by walking and cycling ("Active Travel"). Consequently, the relative distance to existing facilities, public transport, including the level and frequency of public transport provision are important factors in determining site suitability.

6.2.7 However, national policy also recognises that for rural areas the opportunities to reduce car use and increase walking, cycling and the use of public transport are more limited than in urban areas. Planning Policy Wales (Edition 11) paragraph 3.39 states that "in rural areas most new development should be located in settlements which have relatively good accessibility by non-car modes when compared to the rural area as a whole. Development in these areas should embrace the national sustainable placemaking outcomes and, where possible, offer good active travel connections to the centre of settlements to reduce the need to travel by car for local journeys".

6.2.8 As mentioned in paragraph 6.2.3, Planning Policy Wales (Edition 11) also states (paragraph 3.40) that in rural areas "local service centres, or clusters of smaller settlements where a sustainable functional linkage can be demonstrated, should be designated by local authorities as the preferred locations for most new development including housing and employment provision". Therefore, the Criterion in this site assessment will initially assess sites in smaller settlements on the basis of whether they have public transport connections with larger settlements acting as service centres. This and any related criterion maybe subject to change as the Preferred Strategy is developed.

Table 9. Criterion 8: Active Travel Connections to The Centre of Settlements

Table 10. Criterion 9: Accessibility to the Wider Area on Foot

 

Table 11. Criterion 10: Location Within Walking Distance (i.e. 800 metres) of an Existing Bus Stop or Railway Station.

Table 12. Criterion 11: Suitability of Vehicular Access to and from the Site and the Impact on the Highway.

 

Table 13. Criterion 12: Capacity of Highway Network.

Landscape and Environmental Impact

6.2.9 Consideration will be given as to the impact developing the Candidate Site may have on

 Natural heritage designations such as

• Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).
• Special Protection Areas (SPAs).
• Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
• Ramsar sites.
• National Nature Reserves (NNRs).
• Local Nature Reserves.
• Ancient Woodlands.
• and any regional or local non-statutory designations/sites.
• Protected species.

 Historic Environment designations such as

• Registered Historic Landscapes
• Scheduled Monuments
• Listed Buildings
• Conservation Areas
• Registered Historic Parks and Gardens
• and any local non-statutory designations/sites (Historic Environment Record).

 Landscape

• Neighbouring National Parks
• Neighbouring Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
• The valued characteristics and qualities of the Powys landscape.

 Agricultural Land

• Land designated as Best and Most Versatile categories 3a and above.

Table 14. Criterion 13: Impact on Natural Heritage Designated Sites.

Table 15. Criterion 14: Impact on Protected Species.

 

Table 16. Criterion 15: Impact on Historic Environment Designated Sites (and their Settings where Appropriate).

Table 17. Criterion 16: Impact on Landscape.

* The LPA must have a regard to the purposes and duty of National Parks.

⁺ The Local Landscape Character Assessment for the Powys LDP area has had regard to LANDMAP layers and aspect areas, further reference will be given to LANDMAP when considering Candidate Sites.

Table 18. Criterion 17: Impact on Best and Most Versatile (BMV) Agricultural Land.

Flood Risk

6.2.10 The current Welsh Government advice for flood risk is Technical Advice Note (TAN) 15: Development and Flood Risk (2004), this guidance is supported by the Development Advice Maps showing areas of flood risk categorised as C1 and C2.

These are defined as:

• C1: "areas of the floodplain which are developed and served by significant infrastructure, including flood defences".
• C2: "Areas of the floodplain without significant flood defence infrastructure."

6.2.11 TAN 15 is in the process of being revised with the updated version due to be published in June 2023. The revised TAN 15 is supported by a different set of flood risk maps known collectively as Flood Map for Planning (FMfP). These are made up of the following:

Defended Zones - Areas where flood risk management infrastructure provides a minimum standard of protection against flooding from rivers of 1:100 and against flooding from the sea of 1:200 (plus climate change and freeboard).

Rivers Flood Zone 2 - Less than 1 in 100 (1%) but greater than 1 in 1000 (0.1%) chance of flooding in a given year, including climate change.

Rivers Flood Zone 3 - A greater than 1 in 100 (1%) chance of flooding in a given year, including climate change.

Sea Flood Zone 2 - Less than 1 in 200 (0.5%) but greater than 1 in 1000 (0.1%) chance of flooding in a given year, including climate change

Sea Flood Zone 3 - A greater than 1 in 200 (0.5%) chance of flooding in a given year, including climate change.

Surface Water and Small Watercourses Flood Zone 2 - Less than 1 in 100 (1%) but greater than 1 in 1000 (0.1%) chance of flooding in a given year, including climate change.

Surface Water and Small Watercourses Flood Zone 3 - A greater than 1 in 100 (1%) chance of flooding in a given year, including climate change.

6.2.12 The Welsh Government in a letter to LPAs, dated 15^th December 2021, regarding Technical Advice Note (TAN) 15 stated that "When plans are reviewed, the flood risk considerations that feed into the settlement strategy and site allocations must be in accordance with the new TAN 15 and the Flood Map for Planning". Therefore, the flood risk maps that make up FMfP will be used to assess the suitability of Candidate Sites with regards to flood risk. Consideration will be given to the policies in the emerging revised TAN 15 (to be published June 2023) and the Mid Wales Regional Strategic Flood Consequences Assessment (2022) (to be published by November 2022).

6.2.13 Sites located within Flood Map for Planning (FMfP) Zones 2 or 3 (including in Defended Areas), that will not meet the justification tests and acceptability of consequences Criterion (regarding vulnerability of uses and previously developed land) will be filtered out early (initial site filter stage) in the candidate site assessment process, this includes proposals for highly vulnerable developments such as housing in FMfP River and Sea Flood Zones 3 and sites which are not on previously developed land in FMfP River and Sea Flood Zones 2.

Table 19. Criterion 18: Highly Vulnerable* Development in Flood Map for Planning (FMfP) River and Sea Zones 2 and 3.

*Includes: all residential (including Gypsy and Traveller sites) tourism developments, schools, childcare establishments, medical facilities, waste disposal sites, chemical plants, incinerators, emergency services. See TAN 15 (December 2021) for full list.

Table 20. Criterion 19: Less Vulnerable* Development in Flood Map for Planning (FMfP) River and Sea Zones 2 and 3.

* Includes: general industrial, employment, commercial and retail development, transport and utilities infrastructure, public buildings, places of worship. See TAN 15 (December 2021) for full list.

Table 21. Criterion 20: Development in Flood Map for Planning (FMfP) Surface Water Flooding.

Mineral Safeguarding Areas/Buffer Zones

6.2.14 The safeguarding of mineral resources and the inclusion of land within a Minerals Safeguarding Area does not give a presumption for mineral working development to be permitted but enables areas to be protected so that mineral resources are not sterilised by development and that they remain accessible to future generations. Mineral Safeguarding areas should be considered as a form of constraint to ensure that the presence of mineral resources is adequately and effectively considered in development proposals.

6.2.15 Mineral buffer zones are required around permitted and allocated mineral extraction sites. Within the buffer zone, no new sensitive development or mineral extraction should be allocated. Sensitive development is any building occupied by people on a regular basis and includes development proposals such as residential, tourism, and community facilities where an acceptable standard of amenity should be expected. Allocations can only be considered in a buffer zone where the proposed use would not prejudice the operation of the mineral extraction site.

Table 22. Criterion 21: Mineral Safeguarding Areas/Buffer Zones.

Infrastructure / Utilities Capacity

6.2.16 Consideration will be given as to whether there is sufficient capacity in the local infrastructure to serve the proposed development. Where improvements are planned to increase capacity, details will need to be provided on how improvements will be funded, when the improvements are to take place, how this will affect the delivery on the site and how development can be delivered within the Replacement LDP period (2022-2037).

Infrastructure to be considered within this criterion includes:

• Water
• Sewage Treatment Works
• Electricity
• Gas
• Broadband provision

6.2.17 Candidate Sites that are in phosphate sensitive Riverine Special Area of Conservation catchments will be assessed in the early-stage initial site filter (paragraphs 4.2.12 – 4.2.14) to determine the ability to connect to a sewage treatment works with phosphate stripping (and an up-to-date permit) in a timely manner that enables delivery within the Replacement LDP period.

6.2.18 The LPA will be collating some information, at the settlement level, on infrastructure capacity and planned improvements this will be published in an Infrastructure Plan alongside the Replacement LDP Preferred Strategy. Where shortfalls are identified within the Infrastructure Plan, site proposers will be requested to provide further evidence to demonstrate site deliverability.

Table 23. Criterion 22: Infrastructure Capacity.

Delivery and Viability

6.2.19 In determining the suitability of Candidate Sites, a key objective of the LPA will be to establish whether a site proposer has a serious intention to develop the site and can do so within the timeframe of the Replacement LDP. This links directly to the test of soundness 'Will the plan deliver?' the LPA will be expected to demonstrate this at the Examination in Public.

6.2.20 A site that is deliverable may not be financially viable, and vice versa. In assessing the Candidate Sites these two elements must be considered in the round, in a broad and proportionate manner, alongside the principles of sustainable development.

6.2.21 Candidate Sites should be sustainable, deliverable and financially viable in order for the LPA to consider them for inclusion in the plan. All sites will have to satisfy the broad parameters and information required by the LPA and have sufficient financial headroom to accommodate all the Replacement LDPs policy requirements (e.g., affordable housing, open space etc..).

6.2.22 Consideration will be given early in the assessment process during the initial site filter stage, to any obstacles to the delivery of sites through either the presence of major physical site constraints, planning history (e.g., refusals), legal constraints or covenants that restrict the site being brought forward in the Plan period. See paragraph 4.2.15.

Table 24. Criterion 23: Ownership and Legal Considerations – Public Land.

 

Table 25. Criterion 24: Ownership and Legal Considerations – Landownership.

 

Table 26. Criterion 25: Ownership and Legal Considerations – Developer Interest.

 

Table 27. Criterion 26: Deliverability - Existing Allocated Sites in the Adopted LDP (2011-2026)

* Sites that have received permission and align with the Replacement LDP Spatial Strategy will be shown as committed sites in the Replacement LDP.

Table 28. Criterion 27: Site Availability.

 

Table 29. Criterion 28: Viability.

 

6.2.23 The initial Viability Assessment information supplied during the initial site filter stage will be subject to a check by the LPA. A more detailed Viability Assessment will be required at this detailed site assessment stage, where additional information and assessments will be requested to demonstrate that the site can meet the policy requirements of the Replacement LDP and remain viable and deliverable. Further information regarding Viability Assessment requirements will be provided in the Guidance Note.

6.2.24 Where development is to be funded through other mechanisms such as social housing grant or the Mid Wales Growth Deal alternative evidence to demonstrate deliverability will need to be provided.

Table 30. Criterion 29: Site Appraisal*.

*The site appraisal criterion will consider the outcome of previous detailed site assessment stage criteria, plus Planning Policy Officer observations and a site visit.
Climate Change, Placemaking and Biodiversity Enhancement

6.2.25 Planning Policy Wales (Edition 11) paragraph 5.8.1 states that the "The planning system should support new development that has very high energy performance, supports decarbonisation, tackles the causes of the climate emergency, and adapts to the current and future effects of climate change through the incorporation of effective mitigation and adaptation measures."

6.2.26 Placemaking" is a holistic approach to the planning and design of development and spaces, focused on positive outcomes. It draws upon an area's potential to create high quality development and public spaces that promote people's prosperity, health, happiness, and wellbeing in the widest sense. Placemaking considers the context, function and relationships between a development site and its wider surroundings.

6.2.27 To incorporate placemaking Planning Policy Wales (Edition 11) requires that development plans and development proposals seek to deliver developments that address the National Sustainable Placemaking Outcomes, which are:

• Creating and Sustaining Communities
• Making Best Use of Resources
• Growing Our Economy in a Sustainable Manner
• Maximising Environmental Protection and Limiting Environmental Impact
• Facilitating Accessible and Healthy Environments

6.2.28 In accordance with Part 1 Section 6 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, LPAs are required to maintain and enhance biodiversity in the exercise of their functions, including through the planning process, and in doing so to promote the resilience of ecosystems. Therefore, consideration needs to be given by site proposers to how Candidate Site proposals can provide biodiversity enhancements that support ecosystem resilience.

Table 31. Criterion 30: Tackling the Causes of the Climate Emergency*

* Further information to be provided in the Guidance Note on what site proposers are expected to submit to demonstrate accordance with this criterion.

Table 32. Criterion 31: Sustainable Placemaking*

* Further information to be provided in the Guidance Note on what site proposers are expected to submit to demonstrate accordance with this criterion.

Table 33. Criterion 32: Biodiversity Enhancements