BASE HEADER

Yes

ID sylw: 108630

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Kiely Bros Holdings Ltd

Asiant : Pegasus Group

Policy Direction 25 – Strategic Design Principles
7.1.
The delivery of high quality design is supported, and it is considered that the overarching strategic design principles align with national policy.
7.2.
The policy direction refers to 20-minute neighbourhoods, which the SA notes would result in positive impacts for many of the SA Objectives. The policy should clearly define the principles of such neighbourhoods. This may be based on the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA)’s 20-minute Neighbourhoods guidance (March 2021). It will also be necessary to clarify that it may not be possible for all developments, particularly in the more rural locations across the district, to meet these principles. Indeed, 20-minute neighbourhoods are typically associated with urban areas - existing towns, urban extensions, and new settlements. It is easier to deliver 20-minute neighbourhoods by providing facilities and services within denser areas, and high densities may not be appropriate for all sites, particularly in rural settlements (NPPF §130), which suggests that local character should be taken into account when considering the most appropriate density for a site, and where rural needs with regards to housing should be considered, as well as ways in which the vitality of villages can be enhanced (NPPF §§182 and 183).
7.3.
The TCPA’s guidance, in Section 4.3, acknowledges the challenges of implementing 20-minute neighbourhoods in rural areas, noting that there are two approaches:
•
Focus on there being a complete and compact 20-minute neighbourhood within the wider area, such as in a local market town, which residents in comparatively smaller settlements can travel to.
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Create a network of villages that collectively provide what most people need for their daily lives. This approach aligns with NPPF §83, which acknowledges that development in one village may support services in a village nearby.
7.4.
It will be important for the Councils to justify the inclusion and promotion of 20-minute neighbourhoods in the next stage of the plan if this is to become a central part of this policy.