Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
The Written Statement: Taking Action to Better Protect and Manage the Gwent Levels (1 July 2021) | GOV.WALES recognised that despite the Gwent Levels having many statutory and non-statutory designations covering biodiversity, landscape and historic landscape value, it remains vulnerable. The Welsh Government, working with stakeholders, is preparing pilot planning guidance to underpin and accompany Policy 9 of Future Wales (The National Plan 2040) in relation to the Gwent Levels and help deliver this 2021 Ministerial commitment.
The Future Wales pilot guidance for the Levels will supplement Policy 9 by adding further detail to the implementation and requirements of the policy, specific to the Levels. Being supplementary to Future Wales, the guidance will need to be considered with Future Wales and Planning Policy Wales (PPW) during the preparation of strategic and local development plans and in determining planning applications. The guidance will not justify development on the Levels that would otherwise be unacceptable. Instead, the guidance will identify opportunities to safeguard and create resilient ecological networks across the area.
A key aim of Policy 9 is to promote a spatial approach, and a significant element of the pilot involves developing strategic spatial mapping to better understand resilient ecological networks and how they function on the Levels. This spatial approach has not been undertaken before and will add significant value to the Gwent Levels through implementation of Policy 9 and will provide a model for similar work elsewhere. The mapping aims to capture opportunities for improving ecosystem resilience and achieving nature recovery whilst understanding how this can be achieved in a way that also benefits health and wellbeing. Policy 9 recognises the role of Area Statements produced by Natural Resource Wales in understanding such opportunities and in relation to mapping areas to be safeguarded for improved ecological connectivity. Information from Area Statements and their products will inform the guidance for the Levels.
Given the continued pressure for further development on the Levels it is important to gain a better understanding on how existing developments already completed have impacted on the area. To this end, a Post Construction Monitoring Study (PCMR) has been undertaken by ARUP (July 2024) on behalf of Welsh Government as a means of gaining insight and learning from what has happened previously and apply this learning for the future. The findings of the study will inform the guidance and other relevant work.
The pilot Future Wales planning guidance for the Gwent Levels is supported by a range of background information and evidence, which includes the PCMR and strategic mapping, along with substantial stakeholder engagement. It is anticipated that the guidance will be subject to public consultation later this year.