Will the Cabinet Secretary provide a timeline on when local planning authorities can expect finalised guidance or further clarification on mitigation mechanisms for water quality in special areas of conservation with regard to the approval of local planning applications?
We appointed DTA Ecology to work with the impacted local planning authorities to explore approaches for considering Nitrate impacts in marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). This included a workshop in Carmarthen in December. This second phase of work builds on previous guidance published in July 2025. Planning Guidance - Development in SAC Rivers.
DTA are currently in the process of developing case study examples, and these drafts have been shared with local authorities. It is intended that this will be published before the Easter recess.
The local planning authorities in South West Wales, led by Carmarthenshire, are also preparing their own mitigation guide for developers, which is due to be published shortly.