Planning Policy Wales - Brecon Beacons National Park

• specify mechanisms to be used to monitor the take up of housing land;
• include policies for affordable housing in areas where need has been identified, including any
areas where exception sites will be considered; and
• include policies to indicate where developer contributions will be expected toward infrastructure,
community facilities and affordable housing.
9.3 Development control and housing
9.3.1 New housing developments should be well integrated with and connected to the existing
pattern of settlements. The expansion of towns and villages should avoid creating ribbon
development, coalescence of settlements or a fragmented development pattern. Where housing
development is on a significant scale, or where a new settlement or urban village is proposed,
it should be integrated with existing or new industrial, commercial and retail development and with
community facilities.
9.3.2 Sensitive infilling of small gaps within small groups of houses, or minor extensions to
groups, in particular for affordable housing to meet local need, may be acceptable, though much
will depend upon the character of the surroundings and the number of such groups in the area.
Significant incremental expansion of housing in rural settlements and small towns should be avoided
where this is likely to result in unacceptable expansion of travel demand to urban centres and
where travel needs are unlikely to be well served by public transport. Residential development in
the vicinity of existing industrial uses should be restricted if the presence of houses is likely to lead
residents to try to curtail the industrial use.
9.3.3 Insensitive infilling, or the cumulative effects of development or redevelopment, including
conversion and adaptation, should not be allowed to damage an area’s character or amenity.
This includes any such impact on neighbouring dwellings, such as serious loss of privacy or
overshadowing.
9.3.4 In determining applications for new housing, local planning authorities should ensure that
the proposed development does not damage an area’s character and amenity. Increases in density
help to conserve land resources, and good design can overcome adverse effects, but where high
densities are proposed the amenity of the scheme and surrounding property should be carefully
considered. High quality design and landscaping standards are particularly important to enable
high density developments to fit into existing residential areas. Details of the procedure to be
followed in dealing with housing applications identified as departures from the development plan
are given in paragraph 3.12.2.
9.3.5 Where development plan policies make clear that an element of affordable housing, or
other developer contributions, are required on specific sites, this will be a material consideration in
determining relevant applications. Applicants for planning permission should therefore demonstrate
and justify how they have arrived at a particular mix of housing, having regard to development plan
policies. If, having had regard to all material considerations, the local planning authority considers
that the proposal for a site does not contribute sufficiently towards the objective of creating mixed
communities, then the authority will need to negotiate a revision of the mix of housing or may refuse
the application.
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Planning Policy Wales Edition 3 - July 2010 - Chapter 9 Housing