Consultation launched on major overhaul of planning in Wales

Nation.Cymru staff

The Welsh Government has launched a public consultation on a major revision of the National Development Framework, which will shape development across the country up to 2050.

The framework sits at the top of the planning system in Wales and influences Strategic Development Plans, Local Development Plans and decisions on significant infrastructure projects.

The current framework, Future Wales – The National Plan 2040, was adopted in 2021.

The consultation, which runs from August 19 until November 20, is the second stage of an approximately four-year process to replace it, with the new framework expected to be published in winter 2029-30.

People and organisations are being invited to comment on a Statement of Public Participation and National Conversation Engagement Plan, as well as submit evidence that could help shape the new framework.

A series of face-to-face and online events will also be held across Wales during September and October.

Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning Siân Gwenllian said: “This marks the start of a national conversation about the long-term future of Wales, going beyond planning policy to explore the role that places, communities, infrastructure, the environment and culture should play in shaping our nation’s future to 2050.

“It is part of this Government’s commitment to work with local authorities and regional partners to develop a new Framework that meets Wales’s needs, empowers local government, and reduces costs, bureaucracy and duplication. I strongly encourage everyone with an interest in the future of their community, town, city, region and nation to take part.

“Our aim is to move towards a community-centred approach to planning that gives communities a real say on how we secure the homes, workplaces and infrastructure we need, and the National Development Framework will play a key overarching role in how those decisions are made locally, regionally and nationally.”

The consultation will consider what Wales should look like in 2050 and what future generations should inherit.

Community infrastructure

Other areas include the number and type of homes and community infrastructure required, where jobs and investment should be concentrated and how future transport and digital connectivity should develop.

Participants will also be asked to consider climate change and nature, the role of the Welsh language and cultural identity in development, and how the planning system can contribute to better health and reducing inequalities.

The review is being launched as the Welsh Government begins work on Wales’s first Climate and Nature Action Plan, which is intended to bring climate and nature considerations into decision-making across government.

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