Replacement Powys LDP delayed as setting up new National Park could trigger further LDP review

Councillors probed the 2026/2027 budget proposals at a meeting of the council’s Economy, Residents and Communities scrutiny committee on Tuesday, January 27

These included the Economy and Climate department.

This department will not have to make any cuts and savings for next year’s budget, but they are holding money to be spent on the preparing and delivering the new replacement Local Development Plan (LDP).

They are holding £349,000 from re-profiled funding for the LDP and a further £295,000 is held as a potential pressure against it.

It had been estimated that delivering the replacement LDP would overall cost the council around £2 million overall.

The purpose of an LDP is to is to guide the future use of land development and infrastructure typically for a period of 15 years.

It sets out policies for housing, employment, and environmental protection, serving as the primary basis for deciding planning applications. 

Cabinet member for a more prosperous Powys Councillor Glyn Preston (Liberal Democrat – Llanidloes) explained that planning policy comes under the remit of the Council Leader Councillor Jake Berriman.

Cllr Preston said:  “My understanding is that we’re moving on a slightly different timeframe which reflects some of the changes in the budget for the LDP.

“It’s largely the same it’s just how it’s apportioned across the time line of the development of the LDP

Committee Chairwoman Councillor Angela Davies (Liberal Democrat – Rhayader) said: “How is the LDP developing for the county?

Cllr Berriman (Liberal Democrat – Llandrindod North) explained that the “drop dead date” for the current LDP is the end of March.

But he stressed this would not: “frustrate the ability of the council to continue to use it as a material planning consideration.”

Cllr Berriman said: “We won’t see as we’ve done in the past an opening of the floodgates of developments in inappropriate places – the LDP will carry on until we do get a replacement.”

“The replacement plan has been delayed for a number of reasons.

“One of which is the seeking of a new Gypsy and Traveller site in north Powys in the Welshpool area, which we either need to approve by way of planning application or allocate a site by way of the (new) LDP.

“We’ve also been very conscious of a new national park in the north east of Wales involving a chunk of Powys.

“One of the concerns we have and a reason to object is the creation of a new national park planning authority would trigger an automatic review of the LDP.

“That’s caused some consternation to us because we’ve invested a substantial amount of money there and a review once we have a replacement in place would be somewhat wasteful.”

He added that all councillors will receive a briefing to update them on situation soon.

Powys councillors have been vehemently against the national park proposal which is being steered by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

But this is very much a minority view as only 31 per cent of respondents from the results of the last round of consultation on the proposal which closed on December 8 are actually against the proposal

Earlier this month the NRW board agreed to make the designation order for the proposal, which allow people another opportunity to have their say on the proposal.

This ends on February 15, and then NRW will submit all information and evidence to the Welsh Government to agree the next steps.