Preferred Strategy

Objective 1 – Climate Change

1. To ensure new development and land uses are resilient to the effects of climate change, and to actively address the causes and impacts of a changing climate through minimisation, adaptation, and mitigation in support of the national ambition to reach net zero by 2050.
2. To support actions, approaches, interventions and development proposals which align to Corporate and Strategic priorities and plans (e.g. Powys scale action plans) which address climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Objective 2 – Nature Recovery

1. To support nature recovery and address biodiversity decline by protecting, maintaining, restoring, and enhancing the resilience of Powys's natural environment including habitats, biodiversity and geodiversity.
2. To ensure new development, including farm proposals make a positive contribution to nature recovery by providing net benefit for biodiversity and green infrastructure (including strategic green infrastructure where relevant).
3. To ensure new development facilitates the delivery of biodiversity and ecosystem resilience (including reversing degradation) by improving ecological networks through diversity, extent, condition and connectivity.
4. To utilise a strategic green infrastructure framework in local development planning (e.g. mapping, safeguarding and identifying opportunities), designed in collaboration with other stakeholders, for the better integration, efficacy, and co-ordination of nature recovery efforts.

Objective 3 – Natural, Historic, and Built Environments

To sustainably manage Powys's natural resources and to protect, conserve, enhance and restore the natural, historic and built environment including:

• Environmental designations.
• Environmental qualities such as clean air, habitats and water quality.
• Historic environment designations including the Historic Environment Record (HER).
• The special landscape characteristics and qualities of the Plan area and those of adjoining areas including National Parks and National Landscapes.
• Recreational assets, including designated trails, cycling networks and public rights of way and other open space valued for sport, recreation and leisure (as typically included in an Open Space Assessment).
• Safeguarding (in accordance with national policy) active travel routes and networks, existing public transport interchanges, areas proposed for transport schemes (infrastructure and routes), minerals areas, coastal habitats, and common land.
• Other strategic assets in the Plan area, for example Ministry of Defence training grounds, the Montgomery Canal, and the best and most versatile agricultural land (grades 1, 2 and 3a).

Objective 4 – Mineral Resources

To safeguard mineral deposits from sterilisation and to provide positively for the sustainable working of mineral resources to meet society's needs now and in the future, ensuring an adequate supply of minerals is available long term.

Objective 5 – Sustainable Travel

To ensure new development is compliant with the sustainable transport hierarchy meaning that, wherever possible, it is located and designed to reduce the need to travel and enable a choice of sustainable transport options for all. This includes providing active travel opportunities such as cycling and walking routes to encourage healthier lifestyles, improving public rights of way in connection with development, and using good design to ensure that routes connecting users to services and facilities are permeable, legible, direct, convenient, attractive, and safe. Given the rural nature of the Plan area, the development of ULEV charging infrastructure will be encouraged.

Objective 7 – Sustainable Growth

To provide a framework for sustainable growth across Powys which safeguards resources and enables communities to thrive. Significance will be given to the Regional Growth Areas within a sustainable settlement hierarchy that balances the provision of homes, jobs, services, and facilities and promotes sustainable travel patterns.

Objective 8 – Health and Well-being

To support the health and well-being of Powys residents by ensuring that places change and develop to support physical and mental health and well-being. This means:

• Seeking opportunities that contribute towards more physical and active lifestyles including: the provision of active travel, sport, play, recreation, and amenity facilities; developing a network of green infrastructure for the benefit of people and wildlife; ensuring public rights of way are well-maintained for the enjoyment of users; and promoting ease of access for all within new developments.
• The Plan will use placemaking principles to deliver a better, well-designed public realm that promotes scope for social interactions alongside spaces for rest, relaxation, and quiet reflection. Green and blue spaces will be protected, restored and enhanced for their multi-functional benefits including the value they add to physical and mental well-being.
• Making connections between development planning and the goals of the Powys Well-being Plan in order to complement its aims for improving the well-being of future generations.
• Support for initiatives that connect buyers more directly to local produce, improving access to fresh, diverse and healthy food and drink.

Objective 9 – Sustainable Settlements and Communities

To support stronger, safer, healthier, more connected and vibrant communities by considering the needs of all elements of society, including all age groups and the implications of an ageing population. New development will use placemaking principles to drive beneficial economic, social, cultural and environmental outcomes creating aged-balanced, sustainable and prosperous local places which optimise community health and well-being and address issues of deprivation and social exclusion as well as responding appropriately to the climate and nature emergencies.

New development will be sustainable in design and construction, creating energy efficient properties that minimise running costs and provide for flexibility and future-proofing.

Objective 10 – Meeting Future Needs

To build stronger, fairer and greener communities across Powys's towns, villages and rural areas by meeting the identified needs for homes and jobs whilst securing supporting infrastructure. To plan new growth in accordance with a sustainable settlement hierarchy, providing for new and improved opportunities for people to come to live and work in Powys.

Objective 11 – Welsh Language

To foster the Welsh language across Powys by protecting Welsh language Strongholds and supporting Welsh cultural, education and language initiatives.

Objective 12 – Housing Needs

To meet the Plan area's housing needs by ensuring the right number, range and mix of high quality sustainable new homes are provided during the Plan period in accordance with the sustainable settlement hierarchy. This includes the provision of:

• Sufficient homes to meet market and affordable housing needs.
• Homes which meet specialist housing needs arising from the population including homes for older people, accessible and adapted housing, housing with care and support.
• Homes which are affordable and accessible to local people in their own communities including facilitating community-led, co-operative, custom-build and self-build housing schemes.
• A suitable range of homes by location, type and design, to be attractive to different sectors of the population including first-time buyers, homes that serve smaller households and homes for key workers and incoming workers.
• Site(s) and pitches for Gypsy and Travellers to meet an identified need.

Objective 13 – Community Facilities and Assets

To support resilient and robust places and the well-being of communities by safeguarding public open spaces and sports facilities (e.g. play areas, amenity land, allotments), important community facilities (e.g. shops, pubs, village halls, youth centres, arts, education and cultural venues) and other local assets (e.g. public rights of way network, common land and active travel routes), whilst securing enhanced provision or improvement as part of new development.

Objective 14 – Vibrant Economy

To support economic prosperity and meet employment needs, including safeguarding the range and supply of employment sites, by encouraging innovation and the upskilling of the workforce, helping Powys to deliver strong local communities and to retain and attract a more age-balanced and competitive workforce.

Objective 15 – Economic Development

To support new economic development aligned to a sustainable settlement hierarchy which meets the needs of local businesses including proposals which strengthen the foundational economy, such as agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, and construction, and development proposals that support sustainable rural diversification and add value to local produce.

Objective 16 – Mid Wales Growth Deal

To support economic growth by contributing to the aims of Growing Mid Wales and facilitating proposals arising from the Mid Wales Growth Deal.

Objective 17 - Tourism

To support sustainable tourism, including active, green and cultural tourism, whilst safeguarding (including the care, improvement and restoration) important tourism-related resources and assets, such as the natural, built and historic environment, national trails, public rights of ways, the national cycle network, dark skies, distinctive landscapes and open spaces.

Objective 18 – Town Centres

To promote vibrant, attractive and viable high streets and thriving town centres by ensuring new retail and commercial development is directed to town centres in the first instance, safeguarding existing frontages and encouraging a mix of complementary uses. Proposals outlined in Town Centre Investment Plans, Place and Placemaking Plans or other local initiatives will be supported in principle.

Objective 19 – Infrastructure, Utility and Service Provision Required for New Development

To ensure that appropriate physical and digital infrastructure, including utilities and services such as health and education are in place or can be provided by appropriate development contributions to accommodate the needs arising from new development. To support the efficient provision of these by locating the majority of growth in places that are best served by existing or planned infrastructure and services, including places identified within Regional Growth Areas.

Objective 20 – Provision of Infrastructure and Digital Connectivity Projects

To support the sustainable provision of new or upgraded infrastructure and services to meet the changing needs of society and communities in Powys. This includes the provision and upgrading of connections for digital and mobile phone operations for improved coverage of digital infrastructure across the Plan area.

Objective 21 – Energy and Decarbonisation

To reduce the energy demand of new development, promote energy efficiency and support renewable energy generation, whilst minimising the use of non-renewable resources, encouraging decarbonisation, and preventing the generation of waste and pollution. To help combat the climate emergency, the Replacement LDP will proactively contribute towards meeting national targets for renewable and low carbon energy.

Using the policy framework set by Future Wales, renewable and low carbon energy developments and associated infrastructure will be facilitated in appropriate locations where compatible with other Objectives including the protection of resources and supporting nature recovery. Other low-carbon infrastructure changes, such as the move to ULEV private vehicles will need to be accommodated in all developments.

Objective 22 - Waste

To provide a range of sites suitable for waste management facilities including those which increase the reuse and recycling of waste as an alternative to landfill, together with reducing the amount of waste generated from development during construction and use.