Green Infrastructure Statements are now a requirement for all planning applications submitted in Wales, as required by the recently published Planning Policy Wales (PPW).
The PPW sets out the land use policies of the Welsh Government with an objective to ensure the planning system contributes towards sustainable development and improves the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of Wales. It is similar to the National Planning Policy Framework for developments in England.
The PPW states, at paragraph 6.2.12, as follows:
"A green infrastructure statement should be submitted with all planning applications. This will be proportionate to the scale and nature of the development proposed and will describe how green infrastructure has been incorporated into the proposal. In the case of minor development this will be a short description and should not be an onerous requirement for applicants. The green infrastructure statement will be an effective way of demonstrating positive multi‑functional outcomes which are appropriate to the site in question and must be used for demonstrating how the step‑wise approach (Paragraph 6.4.15) has been applied."
This was first introduced by the Minister for Climate Change on 18 October 2023 within an annex to a Heads of Planning letter. The changes were made with immediate effect and have since been incorporated into the PPW Edition 12, which was published in February 2023.
Following the above, in a letter from the Chief Planning Inspector, it was confirmed that while the submission of a Green Infrastructure Statement is not a validation requirement, it is national policy; therefore, Planning & Environment Decisions Wales will expect all appeals relating to planning applications submitted on or after 18 October 2023 to be supported by a Green Infrastructure Statement.
Many applicants and developers are unclear on the level of information required as part of these new statements and how this will impact planning applications and appeals around Wales.
If you would like to find out more information about Green Infrastructure Statements and how these may impact your planning application, please don't hesitate to get in touch.