Lichfields hosts a seminar on plan making and housing in South East Wales.

On Thursday 11 July Lichfields' Cardiff Office held an insightful breakfast seminar with over 70 attendees from the South Wales development sector.

Senior Planner Stephanie Irvine started proceedings by providing an informative update on housing need and plan making in Wales with some great cake analogies! This included what the Welsh Government 2018-based estimates of housing need mean for plan making and what the estimates mean for tenure breakdown of housing requirements.

Victoria Robinson, Operational Manager for Planning and Building Control, Vale of Glamorgan followed with an insightful overview of the Strategic Development Plan (SDP) for the Cardiff Capital City Region. The scope and content of the SDP, proposed boundary, governance and plan period were succinctly provided to the room which provided significant debate during the question time.

Lichfields Planning Director Cem Kosaner wrapped up proceedings by investigating what the SDP means for Local Development Plan reviews and site promotion, as well as what opportunities are presented for strategic site promotion. It also touched on how the SDP can harness the positive growth aspirations of the City Deal. The talk highlighted the need for the development industry to take a proactive approach and engage in the Western Powerhouse concept, City Deal and SDP process, to maximise the potential benefits.

In addition, Lichfields’ blog on the national and regional estimates of housing need in Wales can be found here, while further information on the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal can be found here.