Housing and Local Government Minister Julie James has launched Future Wales, which sets out where housing, employment and infrastructure should be developed to support our town and city centres, achieve decarbonisation and climate resilience, and to improve the health and well-being of our communities.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
The national spatial strategy sets out a vision for development in Wales to 2040.
The plan:
- Focuses on growing existing urban areas and ensuring that homes, jobs and services are located in the same area;
- Identifies Wrexham and Deeside; Cardiff, Newport and the Valleys, and Swansea Bay and Llanelli as nationally significant areas for growth;
- Gives councils stronger tools to refuse planning permission for new out of town retail parks and other developments that would be better located in town centres;
- Sets out new priority areas for large-scale wind and solar energy development to replace Tan 8.
Julie James said:
The past year has shown us just how important where we live is to our health and happiness. It’s easier to be healthy and active when we have safe and attractive green space nearby. If more of us are able to work locally or at home we can shorten commutes, reduce congestion and use our local high streets more.
We have already committed to a ‘Town Centre First’ approach, which means locating services and buildings in town centres wherever possible. This plan will help to deliver it.
This plan sets out our priorities for growth in employment and housing, in particular affordable housing. It sets out a vision for our villages, towns and cities developing at a walkable scale, with homes, local facilities, green spaces and public transport within easy reach.
This work predates the COVID-19 pandemic but living through it has brought home for everyone how important liveable communities are to our health and wellbeing.
Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport Lee Waters said:
We have a long-term ambition to see around 30% of the workforce in Wales working from home or working remotely.
We know that if people have more flexibility in where they work, they can avoid a lengthy commute, reduce road congestion, which plays a part in improving air quality.
As part of our ‘Transforming Towns’ vision we hope to capture the benefits for our towns and communities and create new opportunities for regeneration and economic activity. By planning our neighbourhoods so we can live, work and socialise, we have opportunities to reduce congestion and pollution, and create work-life balance benefits for employees and employers.
We have just launched our Economic Resilience and Reconstruction Mission, which sets out how we will reconstruct and rebuild Wales’ economy so it is more prosperous, equal and greener than ever before. The way we plan our communities has a significant role to play in this.