Welsh homes for locals policy stalls

The move comes as a planning committee gave the go-ahead for similar plans in a national park in Yorkshire (HT 17 December, page 8).

Snowdonia National Park in Wales has scrapped a draft of one of its major planning policies, the unitary development plan, after a raft of changes to planning rules.

Recent developments include implementation of the new Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, which introduces local development plans in Wales in 2005 that would replace the unitary plan; revisions of planning policy guidance for Wales; and a review of Welsh national parks.

Snowdonia will now go back to the drawing board to produce a local development plan that will have more emphasis on consultation and sustainability than the unitary plan.

In the mean time, Snowdonia will not have a “homes for locals” policy. But a spokeswoman said it was likely the proposal would be resurrected.

The future of a similar policy in a second Welsh national park is uncertain after the Welsh Assembly objected to its proposals.

Pembrokeshire National Park’s plan is being examined after the Welsh Assembly Government raised objections at an inquiry.

Planners at the park said they could not understand why the government had opposed the plans.

In Yorkshire, the planning committee of Yorkshire Dales National Park approved plans to ensure new homes would only be sold to people with a local connection last Thursday.

The new rule should help to bring down property prices by a third. On Friday Skipton Building Society announced it would fund £10m of homes for key workers in the Dales.