Town and country planning in Wales is based on the

land use planning Land use planning is the process of regulating the use of land by a central authority. Usually, this is done to promote more desirable social and environmental outcomes as well as a more efficient use of resources. More specifically, the goals ...

system which applies in England. However, the system in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

has some distinctive features which have arisen because substantial responsibility for town and country planning has been

devolved Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...

to the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...

(WAG). In particular, Wales now has a Spatial Plan and Welsh Ministers have a duty to under the

Government of Wales Act 2006 The Government of Wales Act 2006 (c 32) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the then-National Assembly for Wales (now the Senedd) and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily. The Act creates a system o ...

to promote

sustainable development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...

Overall planning policy in Wales

The context for planning policy in Wales is contained within two main documents, ''Planning Policy Wales'', which provides guidance on the preparation and content of development plans and advice on development control decisions and appeals; and ''Minerals Planning Policy Wales'', which gives guidance for the extraction of all minerals and other substances in, on or under land. Taken together with supporting documents, these cover the same broad areas as

Planning Policy Statements Planning Policy Statements (PPS) were UK government statements of national policy and principles towards certain aspects of the town planning framework. In recent years they only applied to England. However, they still exist within the Northern Iri ...

in England. They are supplemented by a series of topic-based ''Technical Advice Notes'' (TANs) and ''Minerals Technical Advice Notes'' (MTANs). Changes or updates to planning policy are issued in ''Ministerial Interim Planning Policy Statements'' (MIPPs). Circular letters provide advice and guidance on specific topics.

Wales Spatial Plan

The Wales Spatial Plan was published by the Welsh Assembly in 2004. The Plan is in some respects similar to a Regional Spatial Strategy in England, but is less prescriptive and broader than land use planning, setting out a wider-ranging spatial vision and strategy: *''Provide a clear framework for future collaborative action involving the Welsh Assembly Government and its agencies, local authorities, the private and voluntary sectors to achieve the priorities it sets out nationally and regionally'' *''Influence the location of expenditure by the Assembly Government and its agencies'' *''Influence the mix and balance of public sector delivery agencies’ programmes in different areas'' *''Set the context for local and community planning'' *''Provide a clear evidence base for the public, private and voluntary sectors develop policy and action'' An update to the Wales Spatial Plan, ''People, Places, Futures'', was published for consultation in early 2008. It sets a vision for how each part of Wales should develop economically, socially and environmentally over the next 20 years and will guide the way the Government spends its money over the coming years. There are six spatial plan areas to represent regional perspectives in Wales. Each area group is chaired by a cabinet minister. The areas are: *Central Wales *North East Wales - Border and Coast *North West Wales – Eryri a Môn *Pembrokeshire – The Haven *South East Wales – Capital Network *

Swansea Bay Swansea Bay ( cy, Bae Abertawe) is a bay on the southern coast of Wales. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan, River Kenfig and Clyne River flow into the bay. Swansea Bay and the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel experience a large tidal ...

– Waterfront and Western Valleys

Local Development Plans

Following the

Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (c 5) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was promoted by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. It substantially reforms the town planning and compulsory purchase framework in th ...

, each

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

in Wales is required to prepare a local development plan (LDP) for its area. These will replace the previous unitary development plans (UDPs), and will become the sole development plans for each council and

National Park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

. Authorities in Wales must have regard to WAG planning policy documents, including the Wales Spatial Plan, in preparing LDPs. Unlike the LDF arrangement in England, the LDP will be a single document, setting out strategy as well as site-specific and development control policies.

Development control

Development control is the process of administering and making decisions on

planning application Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building perm ...

s, to develop or change the use of land or buildings. The basis for decisions on planning applications is usually the adopted development plan.''A public guide to the land use planning system in Wales'', Planning Aid Wales, 2006, p.9

References

External links

Welsh Government Planning Portal for England and WalesRoyal Town Planning Institute in WalesPlanning Aid Wales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Town And Country Planning In Wales United Kingdom planning policy