LUC completes Cardiff Green Wedge Review to support Local Development Plan
LUC has successfully completed the Cardiff Green Wedge Review, a comprehensive assessment commissioned by Cardiff Council to inform the city’s upcoming Local Development Plan (LDP).
The review evaluates the boundaries of the existing green wedges within the Cardiff region.
Green wedges play an important role in managing urban form, safeguarding the countryside, and protecting the setting of Cardiff’s urban areas.
The review focused on the western green wedge, west of the River Taff, assessing its performance against five key purposes outlined in Planning Policy Wales (PPW):
- Preventing the coalescence of towns and cities.
- Managing urban form through controlled expansion.
- Safeguarding the countryside from encroachment.
- Protecting the setting of urban areas.
- Encouraging urban regeneration by recycling derelict land.
Key findings
The assessment, carried out on a settlement-by-settlement basis, identified variations in the contribution of land to green wedge purposes.
Key findings include:
- Creigiau: The elevated land to the east of Creigiau plays a significant role in protecting the urban setting, with many parcels rated as having moderate to high potential for green wedge designation. However, certain developments within the CR2 parcel were found to make no contribution to green wedge purposes and are recommended for exclusion from the boundary.
- Gwaelod-y-garth and Taff’s Well: Most land in this area effectively separates settlements, with no proposed changes to the existing green wedge boundary.
- Morganstown: Land to the north and west of Morganstown makes a strong contribution to managing urban form and safeguarding the countryside. A small parcel in the northern boundary, however, was found to make a weak contribution and is recommended for exclusion.
- Pentyrch: The land around Pentyrch, particularly to the east and west, plays a strong role in protecting the urban setting. No changes to the green wedge boundary are proposed.
Recommendations
The review provides detailed recommendations for each settlement, highlighting areas where green wedge boundaries should be retained, adjusted, or excluded.
These findings will help Cardiff Council ensure that green wedges continue to play a vital role in shaping the city’s development while preserving its natural landscape.
Next steps
Cardiff Council will use the Cardiff Green Wedge Review findings to inform the evidence base for the Cardiff Replacement Development Plan (2021–2036).
The Replacement Local Development Plan is open for public consultation until 15 April 2025.
For more information, the full report, including maps and detailed assessments, is available in the Supporting Documents section under Evidence Base Studies on the consultation website.
