The Candidate Site Register

Mae’r ddogfen yma ar gael yn y Gymraeg / This document is available in Welsh.

Introduction

What is a Candidate Site

A Candidate Site is an area of land or buildings that is formally submitted to the Local Authority for its consideration for inclusion in the Revised Local Development Plan (RLDP). Candidate Sites are generally submitted by (although not restricted to), private and public landowners, developers and their agents.

Submitted Candidate Sites may propose a range of uses, including, but not limited to, the following.

• Residential
• Employment
• Retail
• Gypsy and Traveller Sites
• Community Facilities
• Leisure
• Tourism
• Renewable Energy
• Green Infrastructure
• Biodiversity
• Waste
• Minerals
• Health/Education/Social Care
• Transport Infrastructure

If the Candidate Sites are eventually considered suitable, and allocated in the RLDP, they will play a major role in meeting the Council's needs in these areas listed e.g. our identified housing need. With regards to the Preferred Strategy, we have at this stage undertaken the initial assessment of the sites, and their results have helped to formulate a suitable spatial and growth strategy for the RLDP.

Calls for Candidate Sites

The Call for Candidate Sites is a fundamental part of the Revised Local Development Plan (RLDP) process. It is a pro-active and formal public invite to receive appropriate sites to be assessed and considered for development. The Council undertook the official Call for Candidate Sites for the RLDP 2022 - 2037 between June and September 2022. However, we undertook an earlier official Call for Candidate Sites, (in association with a previous stalled RLDP), which took place from October 2020 to March 2021. Over 300 Candidate Sites were submitted in total from the two Calls for Sites (although some have since been withdrawn).

Assessment of Candidate Sites

All sites are to be thoroughly and consistently assessed in accordance with the formal Candidate Site Assessment Methodology throughout the preparation stages of the RLDP. The methodology is available to view on the Councils website here, along with further background information on Candidate Sites; Candidate Sites | Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (rctcbc.gov.uk) The methodology proposes a very comprehensive, multiple stage process of assessment.

To date, the initial, first stage assessment has been undertaken. This determines the general suitability of the location of the Candidate Sites for their proposed use, alongside the identification of any site constraints that cannot be overcome. It is also necessary to ensure that the sites are viable and deliverable within the plan period (2022-2037).

It should be noted that it is just this initial first stage assessment that has taken place. The results of the first stage assessment do not indicate whether the sites will be allocated or not at later stages.

Candidate Site Register

It is a necessary part of the RLDP preparation process to prepare a Candidate Sites Register (CSR) and make it public alongside the Preferred Strategy. This CSR sets out below an index of all sites submitted to us. This identifies the unique, formal identification number and site name (as submitted) of the Candidate Site for the whole of the RLDP process.

Following the index, another list shows a detailed register of the Candidate Sites. This also includes a map of the site, ward location, size, proposed land use, and then the conclusion of the stage 1 assessment that has been undertaken.

However, if you wish to see all Candidate Sites together on an RCT wide basis, you can also go straight to that map on this link.

The index and the detailed register of sites, both divide the Candidate Sites by the electoral ward that they (mostly) sit within.

Stage 1 Assessment Conclusions

All sites have been assessed consistently as part of the Stage 1 Assessment, in line with the proposed Candidate Site Methodology. It was necessary to identify 5 specific categories of conclusion. It should be noted that the following are standard phrasing that apply to multiple sites.

• Passed stage 1 assessment: Site to remain in process with further information required where necessary. (This amalgamates the first two of the identified conclusions in the CS Methodology)
• Failed stage 1 assessment: Remove the site from the assessment process.
• Remain within Settlement Boundary or include within an amended Settlement Boundary.
• Not to be included within Settlement Boundary or remove from Settlement Boundary.
• Not yet determined due to varied alternative proposed uses. To be determined by Deposit stage.

Further detail of the assessment of all sites may be seen in the'Findings of Candidate Sites First Stage Assessment Background Evidence Base Paper'.

Representations to Candidate Sites

Representations to all sites in the Candidate Site Register are welcomed. The detailed register below includes links to allow people to make representations to the Candidate Sites. This may include support, comment or objections on the sites. There are also links to a County wide map to see all Candidate Sites submitted in their wider context.

Additional Candidate Site Submissions

As part of the consultation to the Preferred Strategy, it is also possible to submit additional sites. These would need to be formally submitted as per previous Calls for Sites. If an additional site is to be submitted, then the details of how to do this are shown on our following webpage; The Call for Candidate Sites and their Submission | Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (rctcbc.gov.uk)