Become a placemaker and have your say on where development takes place in your community

The way places are planned, designed and developed has the potential to positively shape where and how people will live, work, socialise, move about and engage.

So Neath Port Talbot Council is asking local residents, landowners and developers to become ‘placemakers’ in their communities to help ensure new development contributes positively to creating or enhancing environments in which people, communities, businesses and nature can thrive.

Do you own a piece of land which you think would benefit from development? Or perhaps you know of a site that you would like to be protected?

Is there a missing piece of the jigsaw in your community that you think needs redevelopment? From noon 1^st March 2022 until noon 31^st May 2022, we are looking for people to submit land or sites in Neath Port Talbot for potential development, redevelopment or protection (also known as the ‘Call for Candidate Sites’).

If you do not own the parcel of land, but nevertheless think it should be developed, redeveloped or protected, we urge you to contact the landowner and encourage them to submit the site for consideration or obtain their permission.

Sites can be proposed for residential use (including a site for gypsy and traveller accommodation), employment, retail, tourism, community use, education, health and social care, leisure and recreation, green infrastructure, active travel, transport infrastructure, renewable energy, waste or minerals.

Cllr Annette Wingrave, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Sustainable Development, said: “We all need high quality development in the right place for people to live, work and relax in. Ask yourself if your proposed site will meet present needs and that of future generations. Does it have the infrastructure or connections to enable your community to live active, healthy lives that promote better well-being?”

Once submitted, the council will assess each site to see if they are suitable for inclusion in the Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP). This in turn will help the council decide how land is allocated in Neath Port Talbot and shape future development.

How do I submit a site?

All details of how to submit a potential site for inclusion (including a guide to submitting a Candidate Site and constraints map) can be found at: www.npt.gov.uk/cs

Supporting documents are available to view at the following venues:

Neath Civic Centre, Neath, SA11 3QZ

Port Talbot Civic Centre, Port Talbot, SA13 1PJ; and

The Quays, Brunel Way, Baglan Energy Park, Neath, SA11 2GG.

We will also be holding a workshop to explain what information will be required to support a proposal and when it will be required. This will take place virtually via MS Teams on the 28th March 2022.

If you are thinking of submitting a site and would like further advice or would like to attend the virtual workshop, please email ldp@npt.gov.uk or call the Planning Policy Team on: (01639) 686821.

The time to let us know about your proposal is now!