What assessment has the Minister made of whether a property's desirability, salability and value remains unaffected if recorded as an unattractive place in which to live as, under Future Wales Policy 18, it is deemed not in the public interest to create or allow new unacceptable adverse visual impacts?
Future Wales Policy 17 identifies 10 Pre-Assessed Areas where the Welsh Government has modelled the likely impact on the landscape and has found them to be capable of accommodating development in an acceptable way. There is a presumption in favour of large‑scale wind energy development in these areas, subject to the criteria in Future Wales Policy 18.
Future Wales Policy 18 states that proposals for renewable and low carbon energy projects qualifying as Developments of National Significance (DNS) may be permitted where ‘there are no unacceptable adverse visual impacts on nearby communities and individual dwellings’. Decisions on planning proposals will be taken in accordance with this and other relevant development plan policies, and other material considerations.
Proposals which have unacceptable adverse visual impacts on nearby communities and individual dwellings would be contrary to Future Wales and should be refused. If a decision is made that is contrary to a development plan policy, this will be because other material considerations have supported such a decision. Reasons would be fully explained in a decision report.
The Pre-Assessed Areas do not identify individual schemes or development site areas. When this information is established at the DNS stage, the detailed assessment of a scheme’s impacts will be undertaken. Future Wales, including Policy 18, was subject to detailed assessment via the Integrated Sustainability Appraisal.
Land-use planning decisions can affect property prices but the premise of the land use planning system is to regulate the development of land in the wider public interest.
For these reasons consideration has not been given to compensation or buyout in relation to Future Wales Policy 18.