13/10.23

Cardiff saw more than 1,000 new jobs created and 1,681 new homes built between April 2022 and March 2023 according to a new report which evaluates the progress of the city's Local Development Plan.

The housing figure is the biggest single-year growth seen since 2007-2008.

The data is part of the seventh annual report on the current adopted Local Development Plan (LDP) which will be discussed by Cardiff Council's Cabinet at its next meeting on Thursday, October 19.

An LDP is a blueprint for the future development of the city and allows the council to have more control over different types of development, helping to shape a cleaner, greener, stronger and fairer Cardiff.

The report analyses more than 130 indicators and shows that good progress has been made across a range of them, including: jobs, new homes, affordable homes, and the transition towards sustainable forms of transport.

If Cardiff Council's Cabinet endorses the report, it will be submitted to Welsh Government by October 31^st, in line with legislative requirements.

Cllr Dan De'Ath, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, said: "While the results of this LDP monitoring report have been analysed, the council has been consulting on the Preferred Strategy for the Replacement Local Development Plan (RDLP) which will shape the development of thecity up until 2036.

"As of October, this year, there are over 8,000 applications from people looking for housing on the council's waiting list, so there is a clear need to build homes, especially affordable homes, and 6,000 affordable homes could be delivered through the lifetime of the RDLP.

"The council has made it clear that all 26,400 homes required in the RDLP can be delivered through existing planning permissions, or on land which is already identified for new development in the current Local Development Plan. Through the latest analysis, 3,295 homes have already been built on the current strategic sites and 2,158 homes are currently under construction in the city, which shows that good progress is being made.

"This means no new land will have to be found as part of the RDLP's proposed 1% growth strategy for the city to 2036. The candidate sites that have been put forward as part of the Preferred Strategy for the RDLP are purely proposals by developers, landowners and other interested parties at this stage, and have not been agreed by the council. Over the coming months, these sites will be assessed considering all the points that have been raised by residents and interested parties. The findings of the assessment will be published and consulted on as part of the ‘Deposit Plan' that is scheduled to take place next summer."

The key highlights of the seventh annual report of the current LDP are:

Employment:Since 2006 untilthe present day, the LDP has delivered just under 30,000 new jobs. At the current rate of growth 1,750 additional jobs will need to be generated each year to meet the target of 40,000 new jobs by 2026.

Housing:3,295 new homes have been completed to date on five strategic sites. This can be broken down for each site:

• 626 new homes built on the Cardiff Enterprise site
• 945 new homes built on the site in Northwest Cardiff
• 317 new homes built on the site north of Junction 33 on the M4
• 341 new homes built on the site in Northeast Cardiff, and;
• 1,066 new homes built in St Edyryns Village.

Affordable Housing:Since 2014, 2,265 new-build, affordable homes, have been delivered in Cardiff which is 25% of the total new-build housing completions over this period. The delivery of affordable homes is a priority for the council's administration and through the RDLP this figure will rise to 6,000 affordable homes by 2036.

Transportation:Since 2006, the number of people travelling by public transport has increased by 7% up to 55%. Looking specifically at data since 2021/22; walking to school has increased by 1.4%; cycling levels are increasing month by month; bus use has increased from 65% to 80%; train use has returned to 80% compared with pre-pandemic levels; and commuting by car has reduced by 5%. In total, commuting levels through all forms of transport are at 60% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Gypsy and Travellers sites:Work continues to progress to identify new land for permanent Gypsy and Traveller sites in Cardiff. In terms of transit sites, the council believes this should be considered as part of theStrategic Development Plan which will be a new regional plan for Southeast Wales.

Supplementary Planning Guidance:The council has developed a programme of Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG's) to support the plan, with 18 SPG's approved and implemented by the council. An SPG accompanies planning policy to give more information to developers on specific topics. SPG's are in place to support a range of important issues that help to keep the LDP up to date, including design requirements, green infrastructure - biodiversity and trees and restrictions on Houses of Multiple Occupation to ensure communities do not become over saturated with this type of housing.A full review of all current SPGs will be undertaken as part of the Replacement LDP.

Contextual changes:The contextual review highlights significant changes in the national planning policy framework which has evolved since the beginning of the plan. This has been one of the main reasons why the council is embarking on a Replacement Local Development Plan up until 2036.

Cllr Dan De'Ath added: "What we are now seeing in Cardiff in terms of housebuilding, investment and development is the policies set out in the LDP becoming a reality. We now have the highest number of new homes built in the city since 2007/08 and these homes are needed.

"There is always a delay between an LDP being adopted and development taking place on the ground, due to a variety of reasons, but it is reassuring to see that the rate of build in our housing stock is at a level that hasn't been since 2007. This is also being reflected in the delivery of new affordable homes in Cardiff with just under 2,265 units completed since 2014.

"The current adopted LDP responded to an extremely limited local housing supply which meant we needed to bring forward a high number of new sites to meet the city's needs. Without this housebuilding, and associated affordable and social housing, our housing crisis would be far worse, with even more people unable to afford to buy or rent a home."