Chapter Seven - Monitoring and Review Framework

7.1

The statutory Development Plan provides a framework for rational and consistent decision-making. Public consultation on the LDP enables the whole community, businesses, other organisations and the general public to be fully involved in the shaping of planning policies for their area. Above all, it provides confidence that the Development Plan will be the key document in determining development and land use changes in the County Borough in the period up to 2021.

7.2

Review and monitoring are key elements of the Welsh Government’s approach to the planning system. In order to assess the effectiveness of the Core Strategy and policies, there is a need for continuous monitoring of changes occurring in the County Borough. Monitoring will allow the Council and others, to assess how effective the Core Strategy and its policies are in encouraging or restricting various types of land use and delivering development.

7.3

This chapter outlines a monitoring framework, complete with a series of indicators and targets, which will allow the Council to review the effectiveness of the Core Strategy and policies of the Plan. The Council will also monitor the sustainable credentials of the LDP over the plan period.

7.4

As part of the monitoring framework the Council will prepare an Annual Monitoring Report (AMR). The AMR will provide a mechanism for reporting the data collected as part of the monitoring exercise and assessing the effectiveness of the LDP.

Core Indicators

7.5

The LDP Manual (2006) sets out a number of core output indicators, which are considered by the Welsh Government to be essential for assessing implementation of national policy.

Core Indicators are;

Core Indicators
CI 1	The housing land supply taken from the current Housing Land Availability Study per annum
CI 2	Number of net additional affordable and general market dwellings built in the Plan area per annum
CI 3	Net employment land supply/development per annum
CI 4	Amount of development, including housing, permitted on allocated sites in the development plan as a % of development plan allocations and as % of total development permitted (ha and units)
CI 5	Average density of housing development permitted on allocated development plan sites
CI 6	Amount of new development (ha) permitted on previously developed land expressed as a % of all development permitted per annum
CI 7	Amount of major retail, office and leisure development (sq m) permitted in town centres expressed as a % of all major development permitted
CI 8	Amount of development (by TAN 15 paragraph 5.1 development category) permitted in CI and C2 floodplain areas not meeting all Tan 15 tests (paragraph 6.2 i-v)
CI 9	Amount of greenfield and open space lost to development (ha) which is not allocated in the development plan
CI 10	Amount of waste management capacity permitted expressed as a percentage of the total capacity required, as identified in the Regional Waste Plan (TAN 21) per annum
CI 11	The extent of primary land-won aggregates permitted in accordance with the Regional Technical Statement for Aggregates expressed as a % of the total capacity required as identified in the Regional Technical Statement (MTAN)
CI 12	The capacity of Renewable Energy developments (MW) installed inside Strategic Search Areas by type per annum

Local Indicators

7.6

In addition to the Core Indicators, the Council has identified Local Indicators to further help demonstrate the direction of travel of the LDP towards the delivery of the LDP Objectives.

Local indicators are;

Local Indicators
Residential:
LI 1	Number of dwellings permitted annually outside the defined settlement boundaries
LI 2	Number of affordable dwellings provided annually on rural exception sites throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf
LI 3	Average house price in Rhondda Cynon Taf per annum
LI 4	Amount of affordable housing provided by Social Housing Grant per annum
Employment:
LI 5	% of employment land lost to alternative uses per annum
Retail:
LI 6	Total convenience/comparison retail floorspace developed per annum
LI 7	Annual vacancy rates for each Principal Town and Key Settlement
LI 8	Number of applications approved per annum for non-retail use in primary and secondary shopping frontages
Transport:
LI 9	Number of highway, roads, public transport and walking and cycling schemes implemented per annum
LI 10	Proportion of new housing, employment and retail development accessible by a range of transport modes per annum
Ecology:
LI 11	The amount of SINC lost to development and the number of mitigation schemes secured annually
Waste:
LI 12	Annual recycling / recovery / composting rates
Minerals:
LI 13	Amount of mineral deposits sterilised by new development annually
Strategic sites:
LI 14	Pre-application discussions and masterplanning exercises undertaken with developers in relation to the development of strategic sites
LI 15	Planning permission granted for strategic sites
LI 16	Annual rate of residential and/or commercial development on strategic sites
LI 17	Annual provision of local centres, primary schools, open space and biodiversity management schemes on strategic sites
LI 18	Annual provision of highway and utility infrastructure on strategic sites
Regeneration:
LI 19	Implementation of Regeneration Strategies during 2010-2021

Annual Monitoring Report (AMR)

7.7

The AMR is intended to improve the transparency of the planning process and help keep councillors, the community and business groups informed of development plan issues facing the area. Each authority is required to prepare an AMR covering the preceding financial year and submit it to the Welsh Government by 31st October each year following adoption.

7.8

The AMR will assess the extent to which LDP strategies and policies are being achieved. The first report will establish data on the range of indicators on which it is proposed to monitor policies including indicators identified nationally (the Core Indicators). The AMR is the main mechanism for reviewing the relevance and success of the LDP and identifying any changes necessary. In order to fulfil this function, the AMR will be focused on measuring the effectiveness of policies in a meaningful sense and not a statistical compendium.

7.9

Welsh Government guidance recognises that it is not realistic for all policies to be monitored as this would lead to an unnecessarily large and complicated document. The AMR for the LDP will therefore focus on key areas of policy which will need to be included consistently each year, whereas other policy areas may be included less frequently.

7.10

Key questions for the AMR to consider will include:-
• What new issues have occurred in the area or in local/national policy (key recent changes, future prospects)?
• What are the underlying causal factors of these new issues (for instance new structural social, economic and demographic forces that will impinge on the area)?
• How relevant, appropriate and up-to-date is the LDP strategy and its policies and targets?
• What sites have been developed in relation to the plan’s expectations on location and timing?
• What has been the effectiveness of policies (and associated SPG), in dealing with applications, and where appropriate leading to applications for better schemes, and in discouraging inappropriate applications?
• What has been the effectiveness of policies (and associated SPG), in dealing with appeals?

Plan Review

7.11

The results of the monitoring processes will feed into the ongoing review and adjustment of the LDP and SPG. A major review of the LDP must be undertaken 4 years following first and subsequent adoption dates.

A review could take the form of:
• A replacement of the LDP, i.e. a complete new plan where the existing plan is found to be substantially out of date and the scale of necessary alterations is fundamental; or
• Alterations in the form of a partial rolling forward of the LDP, where some forecasts and assumptions have changed, where some policy needs to be changed or where some additional policies needs to be added to deal with areas of significant change or conservation or with some unforeseen events.

Role of Triggers

7.12

A review of the LDP in advance of the formal 4-year review will only take place in exceptional circumstances. The Monitoring Framework for the LDP will not identify specific triggers for each of the Core Policies. The Council will make a judgment on the need for a full or partial review based on the consideration of the following factors:
• A significant change in external conditions;
• A significant change in national policy or legislation;
• A significant change in local context e.g. closure of a significant employment site that undermines the local economy or the cumulative effect of a series of closures;
• A significant change in development pressures or needs and investment strategies of major public and private investors; and
• Significant concerns from the findings of the AMR in terms of policy effectiveness, site delivery, progress rates, and any problems with implementation.

7.13

It is the consideration of the AMR’s and the wider factors set out at Figure 1 that the Council will use to identify the need to trigger a review. The assessment of the Plan’s success or otherwise as a strategic plan is wide ranging and circumstances will change over the Plan period. As such, it is considered inappropriate to use the performance against individual targets and the results of individual Core and Local Indicators to automatically trigger a Plan review.

7.14

The LDP Monitoring Background Paper sets out the relationship in practice between the Core and Local Indicators, the Annual Monitoring Review and the triggering of a Plan review.

Data Sources

7.15

The data sources that will be used to monitor the LDP are included in the LDP Evidence Base. The AMR will identify the specific sources of data that support each indicator. The LDP Monitoring Background Paper contains further information on the Evidence Base and data sources.

Monitoring of Objectives and Strategic Policies: Targets and Indicators

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 1 - Development in the North	1, 2, 4, 5, 6 & 8		NSA 1 to NSA 27
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
To build strong and sustainable communities in the Northern Strategy Area over the Plan period		ADOPTION	None
		2015	40% of allocations
		2021	100% of allocations
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
CI 2 - Number of net additional affordable and general market dwellings built in the Plan area per annum CI 4 - Amount of development, including housing, permitted on allocated sites in the development plan as a % of development plan allocations and as % of total development permitted (ha and units) CI 5 - Average density of housing development permitted on allocated development plan sites CI 6 - Amount of new development (ha) permitted on previously developed land expressed as a % of all development permitted per annum CI 8 - Amount of development (by TAN 15 paragraph 5.1 development category) permitted in CI and C2 floodplain areas not meeting all Tan 15 tests (paragraph 6.2 i-v) CI 9 - Amount of greenfield and open space lost to development (ha) which is not allocated in the development plan CI 12 - The capacity of Renewable Energy developments (MW) installed inside Strategic Search Areas by type per annum		LI 9 - Number of highway, roads, public transport and walking and cycling schemes implemented per annum LI 11 - The amount of SINC lost to development and the number of mitigation schemes secured annually LI 19 - Implementation of Regeneration Strategies during 2010-2021
POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 2 – Development in the South	1, 2, 4, 5, 6 & 8		SSA 1 to SSA 27
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
To ensure sustainable growth in the Southern Strategy Area that benefits Rhondda Cynon Taf as a whole over the Plan period		ADOPTION	None
		2015	40% of allocations
		2021	100% of allocations
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
CI 2 - Number of net additional affordable and general market dwellings built in the Plan area per annum CI 4 - Amount of development, including housing, permitted on allocated sites in the development plan as a % of development plan allocations and as % of total development permitted (ha and units) CI 5 - Average density of housing development permitted on allocated development plan sites CI 6 - Amount of new development (ha) permitted on previously developed land expressed as a % of all development permitted per annum CI 8 - Amount of development (by TAN 15 paragraph 5.1 development category) permitted in CI and C2 floodplain areas not meeting all Tan 15 tests (paragraph 6.2 i-v) CI 9 - Amount of greenfield and open space lost to development (ha) which is not allocated in the development plan		LI 9 - Number of highway, roads, public transport and walking and cycling schemes implemented per annum LI 11 - The amount of SINC lost to development and the number of mitigation schemes secured annually LI 19 - Implementation of Regeneration Strategies during 2010-2021

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 3.1 – Former Maerdy Colliery	1, 2, 3, 5, 7 & 10		NSA 4
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET
The construction of 1ha of B1 and/or B2 of employment land, visitors centre and area of informal recreation		ADOPTION	None
		2015	Submission of planning application
		2021	Development completed
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
N/A		LI 14 - Pre-application discussions and masterplanning exercises undertaken with developers in relation to the development of strategic sites LI 15 - Planning permission granted for strategic sites LI 16 - Annual rate of residential and/or commercial development on strategic sites LI 17 - Annual provision of local centres, primary schools, open space and biodiversity management schemes on strategic sites LI 18 - Annual provision of highway and utility infrastructure on strategic sites

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 3.2 – Former Fernhill Colliery	1, 2, 3, 5, 7 & 10		NSA 5
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
The construction of between 350-400 dwellings, a local retail centre and area of informal recreation		ADOPTION	None
		2015	Submission of planning application
		2021	Development completed
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
N/A		LI 14 - Pre-application discussions and masterplanning exercises undertaken with developers in relation to the development of strategic sites LI 15 - Planning permission granted for strategic sites LI 16 - Annual rate of residential and/or commercial development on strategic sites LI 17 - Annual provision of local centres, primary schools, open space and biodiversity management schemes on strategic sites LI 18 - Annual provision of highway and utility infrastructure on strategic sites

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 3.3 – Former Phurnacite Plant	1, 2, 3, 5, 7 & 10		NSA 6
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
The construction of 500 dwellings, 5.9 hectares of employment, a new primary school and area of formal/informal recreation		ADOPTION	None
		2015	Submission of planning application
		2021	Development completed
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
N/A		LI 14 - Pre-application discussions and masterplanning exercises undertaken with developers in relation to the development of strategic sites LI 15 - Planning permission granted for strategic sites LI 16 - Annual rate of residential and/or commercial development on strategic sites LI 17 - Annual provision of local centres, primary schools, open space and biodiversity management schemes on strategic sites LI 18 - Annual provision of highway and utility infrastructure on strategic sites

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 3.4 – Land at Robertstown/Abernant	1, 2, 3, 5, 7 & 10		NSA 7
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
The construction of between 500-600 dwellings, 3.7 hectares of employment/leisure, a new primary school, medical centre and area of informal recreation		ADOPTION	None
		2015	Planning permission granted and implementation of development
		2021	Development completed
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
N/A		LI 14 - Pre-application discussions and masterplanning exercises undertaken with developers in relation to the development of strategic sites LI 15 - Planning permission granted for strategic sites LI 16 - Annual rate of residential and/or commercial development on strategic sites LI 17 - Annual provision of local centres, primary schools, open space and biodiversity management schemes on strategic sites LI 18 - Annual provision of highway and utility infrastructure on strategic sites

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 3.5 – Land south of Hirwaun	1, 2, 3, 5, 7 & 10		NSA 8
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
The construction of 400 dwellings, 36 hectares of employment, a new primary school, 2000m² retail floorspace store, medical/community centre and area of informal recreation		ADOPTION	None
		2015	Planning permission granted and implementation of development
		2021	Development completed
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
N/A		LI 14 - Pre-application discussions and masterplanning exercises undertaken with developers in relation to the development of strategic sites LI 15 - Planning permission granted for strategic sites LI 16 - Annual rate of residential and/or commercial development on strategic sites LI 17 - Annual provision of local centres, primary schools, open space and biodiversity management schemes on strategic sites LI 18 - Annual provision of highway and utility infrastructure on strategic sites

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 3.6 – Cwm Colliery and Coking Works	1, 2, 3, 5, 7 & 10		SSA 7
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
The construction of between 800-950 dwellings, 1.9 hectares of employment, a new primary school and area of informal recreation		ADOPTION	None
		2015	Submission of planning application
		2021	Development completed
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
N/A		LI 14 - Pre-application discussions and masterplanning exercises undertaken with developers in relation to the development of strategic sites LI 15 - Planning permission granted for strategic sites LI 16 - Annual rate of residential and/or commercial development on strategic sites LI 17 - Annual provision of local centres, primary schools, open space and biodiversity management schemes on strategic sites LI 18 - Annual provision of highway and utility infrastructure on strategic sites

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 3.7 – Mwyndy/Talbot Green Area	1, 2, 3, 5, 7 & 10		SSA 8
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
The construction of 500 dwellings, 15 hectares of employment, 23,400m² new retail floorspace, 10,000m² of leisure floorspace, a primary school, library/community facility and area of informal recreation		ADOPTION	Planning permission for 19.1ha mixed use development comprising B1 business development and residential units at land east and west of the A4119
		2015	Submission of further planning application and implementation of development
		2021	Development completed
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
N/A		LI 14 - Pre-application discussions and masterplanning exercises undertaken with developers in relation to the development of strategic sites LI 15 - Planning permission granted for strategic sites LI 16 - Annual rate of residential and/or commercial development on strategic sites LI 17 - Annual provision of local centres, primary schools, open space and biodiversity management schemes on strategic sites LI 18 - Annual provision of highway and utility infrastructure on strategic sites

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 3.8 – Former OCC Site Llanilid	1, 2, 3, 5, 7 & 10		SSA 9
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
The construction of 1950-2100 dwellings, 2,500m² retail floorspace, a medical centre, library/community facility, a new primary school and associated public open space		ADOPTION	None
		2015	Planning permission granted and implementation of development
		2021	Development completed
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
N/A		LI 14 - Pre-application discussions and masterplanning exercises undertaken with developers in relation to the development of strategic sites LI 15 - Planning permission granted for strategic sites LI 16 - Annual rate of residential and/or commercial development on strategic sites LI 17 - Annual provision of local centres, primary schools, open space and biodiversity management schemes on strategic sites LI 18 - Annual provision of highway and utility infrastructure on strategic sites

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 4 – Housing Requirements	1 & 9		CS 3, AW 1, NSA 5, NSA 7 to NSA 9 & SSA 7 to SSA 10
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
Land will be made available for the construction of 14,385 new dwellings over the Plan period		ADOPTION	1605
		2015	8,631
		2021	14,385
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
CI 1 - The housing land supply taken from the current Housing Land Availability Study per annum CI 2 - Number of net additional affordable and general market dwellings built in the Plan area per annum CI 4 - Amount of development, including housing, permitted on allocated sites in the development plan as a % of development plan allocations and as % of total development permitted (ha and units) CI 6 - Amount of new development (ha) permitted on previously developed land expressed as a % of all development permitted per annum		LI 1 - Number of dwellings permitted annually outside the defined settlement boundaries

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 5 – Affordable Housing	1, 6 & 10		AW 3, NSA 11 & SSA 12
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET
To provide 1770 affordable homes in Rhondda Cynon Taf over the Plan period.		ADOPTION	237 units
		2015	1062 units
		2021	1770 units
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
CI 2 - Number of net additional affordable and general market dwellings built in the Plan area per annum CI 4 - Amount of development, including housing, permitted on allocated sites in the development plan as a % of development plan allocations and as % of total development permitted (ha and units)		LI 2 - Number of affordable dwellings provided annually on rural exception sites throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf LI 3 - Average house price in Rhondda Cynon Taf per annum LI 4 - Amount of affordable housing provided by Social Housing Grant per annum

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 6 – Employment Requirements	3		AW 11, NSA 14, NSA 15, NSA 16 & SSA 14
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
Development of 51 hectares for ‘strategic’ employment and 47 hectares for ‘local’ employment opportunities		ADOPTION	None
		2015	25ha for ‘strategic’ employment and 23 ha for ‘local’ employment
		2021	51ha for ‘strategic employment’ and 47 ha for ‘local’ employment
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
CI 3 - Net employment land supply/development per annum CI 4 - Amount of development, including housing, permitted on allocated sites in the development plan as a % of development plan allocations and as % of total development permitted (ha and units) CI 6 - Amount of new development (ha) permitted on previously developed land expressed as a % of all development permitted per annum		LI 5 - % of employment land lost to alternative uses per annum

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 7 – Retail Development	2 & 6		NSA 17 & SSA 15
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
Improve viability and vitality of 8 Key Settlements and 3 Principal Towns in Rhondda Cynon Taf over the Plan period Development of between 34,400m²-36,400m² new retail floorspace throughout the County Borough over the Plan period		ADOPTION	None
		2015	40%
		2021	100%
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
CI 4 - Amount of development, including housing, permitted on allocated sites in the development plan as a % of development plan allocations and as % of total development permitted (ha and units) CI 6 - Amount of new development (ha) permitted on previously developed land expressed as a % of all development permitted per annum CI 7 - Amount of major retail, office and leisure development (sq m) permitted in town centres expressed as a % of all major development permitted		LI 6 - Total convenience/comparison retail floorspace developed per annum LI 7 - Annual vacancy rates for each Principal Town and Key Settlement LI 8 - Number of applications approved per annum for non-retail use in primary and secondary shopping frontages

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 8 - Transportation	6 & 8		NSA 20 to NSA 23 & SSA 18 to SSA 21
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
Promote more sustainable forms of transport throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf Reduce need to travel through the development of new services in accessible locations throughout the plan period		ADOPTION	None
		2015	40%
		2021	100%
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
N/A		LI 9 - Number of highway, roads, public transport and walking and cycling schemes implemented per annum LI 10 - Proportion of new housing, employment and retail development accessible by a range of transport modes per annum

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 9 – Waste Management	8 & 9		N/A
TARGET:
The development of between 12.5 and 21.7 hectares to meet capacity requirements for waste management over the Plan period
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indictors:
CI 10 - Amount of waste management capacity permitted expressed as a percentage of the total capacity required, as identified in the Regional Waste Plan (TAN 21) per annum		LI 12 - Annual recycling / recovery / composting rates

POLICY:	OBJECTIVE:		RELATED POLICIES:
CS 10 - Minerals	10		AW 14 & SSA 26
TARGET:		MONITORING TARGET:
Maintain 10-year land bank of permitted aggregates reserves
Core Output Indicators:		Local Output Indicators:
CI 11 - The extent of primary land-won aggregates permitted in accordance with the Regional Technical Statement for Aggregates expressed as a % of the total capacity required as identified in the Regional Technical Statement (MTAN)		LI 13 - Amount of mineral deposits sterilised by new development annually

Rhondda Cynon Taf Local Development Plan up to 2021 - Adopted March 2011

Chapter Seven - Monitoring and Review Framework