Landowners in the area are being urged to take advantage of a current consultation being undertaken into the Powys Replacement Local Development Plan that has just weeks left.
A local planning consultant is encouraging landowners across the county to use the opportunity to influence the future development of their communities.
Alongside the Preferred Strategy, which is currently being consulted on until October 7th, 2024, the council has re-opened its call for Candidate Sites to be included in the Plan.
The Plan lays out a vision for Powys, including proposed housing and employment growth targets, potential development zones, and a strategic planning policy framework. Importantly, the council is actively inviting landowners to submit their sites for inclusion in the Plan again.
"The Replacement LDP will fundamentally shape the future of Powys for years to come," said Doug Hughes, Principal Architect and Managing Director at Newtown and Welshpool-based Hughes Architects.
"This consultation represents a unique opportunity for landowners to actively participate in this process and this is the second and final call for sites. By putting forward well-considered land proposals, they can contribute to their community's growth, while also securing their future interests."
Hughes Architects, based in Newtown and Welshpool, said landowners can talk to them for advice but were keen to point out the short timeframe of consultation and the urgency of making an application. The practice submitted over 30 sites for the first call for sites and all bar one passed the Council’s strict qualification criteria.
"We understand the Powys planning landscape and have a strong track record of successfully securing planning permissions," Richard Lewis, Architect and Director at Hughes Architects explained.
"We are here to support landowners in every step of the process - from assessing the development potential of their land to crafting compelling proposals that fit with the council's vision."
A Powys County Council statement said: The Powys Replacement LDP Preferred Strategy seeks to address the needs of the Powys Plan Area by proposing levels of housing and employment growth and identifying where this should be broadly distributed.
“The Preferred Strategy includes a proposed Sustainable Settlement Hierarchy together with a set of strategic level planning policies which will be expanded upon by detailed policies and proposed land allocations (for new development) in subsequent stages of the Replacement LDP process.”