Welsh Assembly Senedd to consider NDF for 60 day period

The Welsh Assembly Senedd is to consider, for a 60-day period, the National Development Framework (NDF), setting the direction for development in Wales to 2040.

….a major policy document that will ….inform Welsh Government decision-making

The Welsh Parliament writes:

The Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee (the Committee) will be undertaking work on the latest iteration of the Welsh Government’s draft National Development Framework (NDF).

The NDF is a spatial planning document which is required under the Planning (Wales) Act 2015 (the Planning Act).

The Planning Act requires the Welsh Ministers to develop a NDF. The NDF will set out a 20 year land use framework and be reviewed at least every five years. It is a major policy document that will set national spatial policy, direct Strategic Development Plans and Local Development Plans, and inform Welsh Government decision-making on major planning applications.

In August 2019, the Welsh Government published its draft National Development Framework[Opens in a new browser window] for consultation.

The Committee undertook work on the draft NDF at an early stage, with a view to influencing its content, and informing future consideration of the draft by the Senedd. The Committee published its report on the draft NDF in December 2019.

Following the consultation, and in line with the requirements in the Planning Act, the draft NDF must be laid before the Senedd for consideration for a 60 day period (‘the Senedd consideration period’) before it is finalised.

The Welsh Government laid the draft NDF before the Senedd on 21 September 2020…

A copy of the draft NDF which incorporates the proposed changes can be found on the Welsh Government’s website[Opens in a new browser window].

The Committee will consider the proposed changes to the draft NDF and report to the Senedd before the end of the 60 day period.

The Planning Act sets out the following provisions that relate to the NDF:

  • Section 3(4) requires Welsh Ministers to have regard to any resolution passed by the Senedd in Plenary and any recommendation made by a Senedd committee during the 60 day scrutiny period.
  • After the 60 day consideration period has ended, the Welsh Ministers may publish a final, unamended version of the NDF. However, if the Welsh Ministers decide to amend the draft NDF, they may lay before the Senedd an amended draft of the NDF and publish it.
  • If the Senedd or any of its committees has agreed any resolution or made any recommendations during the consideration period, the Welsh Ministers must, not later than the day on which the NDF is published, lay a statement explaining how they have had regard to each resolution or recommendation.

Read more….

This entry was posted in Sector NewsBlog. Bookmark the permalink.