2. Section Two - Vision and Objectives
2.1 A Vision for Conwy
The following vision sets out where we want to be in 2022. The objectives that follow address the issues that have been identified in Section 1 and the supporting Background Papers. Two key strategies which have informed the LDP Vision are summarised in BP/1 - ‘Related Plans and Strategies’ – the ‘One Conwy’ Community Strategy and Conwy Corporate Plan.
2.2 The Vision – ‘Conwy in 2022’
"By 2022, the communities of Conwy will be more sustainable, offer a higher quality of life and be supported by a more balanced age structure.
The development needs generated by future changes in population and reducing out-commuting levels will have been achieved. The housing needs of the area will be better accommodated, with greater access to affordable housing for local need. Communities will be educated and skilled and have greater access to high quality, better paid jobs, particularly in the higher value service industries and year-round tourism sectors, resulting in a more prosperous and thriving Conwy. Through the promotion of an Urban Development Strategy Area, the sustainable and accessible urban coastal belt settlements of Abergele, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, Llandudno and Llandudno Junction will have become the economic, social and cultural focus of the Plan Area. The strengthening of the strategic hubs and regeneration areas along the key road and rail corridor will have been achieved as a result. Through a Rural Development Strategy Area, the special character of the rural areas as places to live and work will have been fostered through the provision of locally accessible jobs and services. Within these communities, development will have supported and sustained the long-term wellbeing of the Welsh Language.
People in Conwy will feel safer and healthier, resulting from accessible, higher quality, energy efficient and well designed developments that protect and enhance the natural and built environment. Essential recreation and open spaces will have been protected and enhanced and Green Wedges and Special Landscape Areas will have secured community and settlement identity.
An improved public transport, walking and cycling network will have been secured and a sustainable public transport interchange facility at Llandudno and Colwyn Bay realised. A long-term supply of aggregates will have been safeguarded and waste minimisation and energy generation promoted."
2.3 Spatial Objectives
A number of LDP objectives have been formulated as a means of realising the vision and tackling the priority issues within the Plan Area. The origin of the objectives is detailed in BP/1 – ‘Related Plans and Strategies’. The Spatial Objectives are:
SO1: To accommodate sustainable levels of population growth.
SO2: To promote the comprehensive regeneration of Colwyn Bay, Abergele, Towyn and Kinmel Bay to broaden economic activity, address social exclusion and reduce deprivation through the Strategic Regeneration Area Initiative.
SO3: To provide land and develop a diverse supply of housing to contribute to needs, including affordable housing for local need, and to meet the need for gypsies and travellers, at a scale that is consistent with the ability of different areas and communities to grow.
SO4: Identify and safeguard land to meet the community's needs for more jobs and greater economic prosperity and reduced out-commuting levels focussing, in particular, on higher value employment opportunities and skills development within and around the strategic hubs of Conwy, Llandudno, Llandudno Junction and Colwyn Bay and in the accessible and sustainable location of Abergele.
SO5: Encourage the strengthening and diversification of the rural economy where this is compatible with local economy, community and environmental interests.
SO6: Develop vibrant town centre destinations for shopping, business and commerce, culture, entertainment and leisure through the protection and enhancement of the vitality, viability and attractiveness of Llandudno as the strategic sub regional retail centre, and regeneration of Colwyn Bay town centre and other key shopping centres.
SO7: Concentrate development along existing and proposed infrastructure networks and, in particular, at locations that are convenient for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.
SO8: Assist tourism through the protection and enhancement of coastal and rural based tourism attractions and accommodation and further exploit the potential to develop, strengthen and encourage an all year round tourism industry.
SO9: To encourage efficient patterns of movement and to recognise the strategic role that the A55 and rail corridors will play in meeting the development needs of the Plan Area, and to give particular attention to development locations that are convenient for pedestrians, walking and cycling in Conwy to aid the reduction of transport CO2 emissions.
SO10: Ensure that good, sustainable, inclusive design is delivered which includes the opportunity to design out crime, to develop strong, safe and locally distinctive communities and encourage the younger population to remain and return to the area.
SO11: Reduce energy consumption through the careful siting and design of buildings and the promotion of renewable energy developments where they have prospects of being economically attractive and environmentally and socially acceptable.
SO12: Safeguard and enhance the character and appearance of the undeveloped coast and countryside, sites of landscape/conservation importance, features of historic or architectural interest and ensure the conservation of biodiversity and protected species.
SO13: To protect and improve accessibility to essential services and facilities, including open space, allotments, health, education and leisure.
SO14: To promote the prudent use of resources through the minimisation of waste and assist in providing an integrated network of waste management facilities consistent with the needs of the area and the waste hierarchy.
SO15: Contribute to regional and local mineral needs in a sustainable manner.
SO16: Ensure that development supports and sustains the long-term wellbeing of the Welsh language and the character and linguistic balance of communities within the Plan Area.