Written question WQ83820

The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 provides an enabling framework for Welsh public bodies, including local authorities, to make more sustainable decisions. It is for local authorities to explain how they have discharged their well-being duty in the Well-being of Future Generations Act.

Decisions on the detail of local authority asset management, acquisition, and disposal are a matter for local authorities as independently elected bodies subject to the statutory considerations specific to them. It is for a local planning authority to consider if community assets are suitable for housing and identify such sites as housing allocations when preparing their Local Development Plan or determine planning applications for such proposals through the development management process, whichever is appropriate. It is the responsibility of a local planning authority to justify the policies and proposals within its plan.

Welsh Government has encouraged asset collaboration through the work of Ystadau Cymru, which has promoted a drive to maximise the overall benefits that could be delivered from surplus property not merely financial outcomes. We have published advice and guidance covering a range of topics including a community asset transfer and a land transfer protocol which embeds the sustainable development principle contained in the Well-being of Future Generations Act.