Emerging Local Development Plan. In 2006, the Council commenced work on the preparation of a Local Development Plan (LDP) which will cover the period 2011 to 2026 and ultimately supersede the Adopted UDP. The Draft Preferred Strategy (December 2007) of the LDP sets out the Council’s strategic priorities and broad locations for development in the period 2011 to 2026 and contains the vision, objectives and key policies that the Council wishes to pursue. The LDP Draft Preferred Strategy was approved by Cabinet in March 2009 and reflects the status of St Athan as a Strategic Opportunity Area, as identified in the Wales Spatial Plan. “To concentrate development opportunities in Xxxxx and the South East Zone. The St Athan area to be a key development opportunity. Other sustainable settlements to accommodate further housing and associated development.” The Strategy identifies St. Athan as a key settlement so as to complement its future role in the Wales Spatial Plan (2008) and states that in St Athan: ”…the focus of development will be on capitalising on the significant investment and employment opportunities arising from the DTA development. New development will also reinforce its role as a key settlement both locally and regionally within the context of the Wales Spatial Plan, ensuring that future investment delivers benefits to its residents and to the Vale as a whole. The overall emphasis will be to ensure sustainable growth both within the framework of the LDP Draft Preferred Strategy and its regional context.” A number of the LDP objectives and core strategic policies are considered to be applicable to this proposal, with the most relevant being Objective 5 and CSP 8 which relate to employment. Objective 5 seeks to: “xxxxxx the development of a diverse and sustainable local economy that meets the needs of the Vale of Glamorgan and that of the wider South East Wales region”. Core strategic policy 8 supports several objectives including objective 5 and states: “The employment needs of the Vale of Glamorgan will be met through: • The enhancement and improvement of existing employment sites; • Suitable extensions to existing employment sites; • The safeguarding of existing employment sites from non employment uses; and • Favouring farm diversification and tourism initiatives.” The purpose of referring to the LDP is to provide context to Members, and as this Plan is at an early stage of production it does not carry weight in the determination of this application, although the evidence which inf...
