Current Campaigns
South Sebastopol
Torfaen Friends of the Earth is campaigning to reduce the environmental impact on the green fields between Sebastopol and Cwmbrân, where there is a proposed development of 1,200 houses, shops, school and other facilities on the green fields along the canal in Cwmbrân in the area designated as South Sebastopol. (Full details of the application can be found at http://www.planapps.torfaen.gov.uk/south_sebastopol/.)
The consortium of developers have applied to Torfaen County Borough Council, firstly to renew the outline planning application for South Sebastopol, and secondly for detailed planning permission for the first phase of development.
Torfaen Friends of the Earth have objected to both the application to renew the outline planning permission and the detailed application for the first phase. We have objected to the renewal of outline planning permission both on the substance of the application and that the detail of the proposed development has changed so much since the original application that it should be given the same level of scrutiny as a new planning application. The application for detailed planning permission for the initial phase of development has been made before the outline planning permission has been renewed. Accordingly the detailed application presumes that the outline planning permission will be granted and applies undue pressure on Torfaen County Borough Council's planning committee.
Torfaen County Borough Council rejected the application to renew the outline planning permission on the 21st of July. The developers can appeal the Council's decision, so the campaign may not be over yet.
Further information on the plans and the South Sebastopol area can be found in the archived Fight the Plan Group pages. Our submissions opposing the applications for renewal of outline planning permission and detailed planning permission for the first phase of construction are both available. We have also made available a report on the archaeology and history of South Sebastopol by Professor David Austin, of the Archaeology Department at the University of Wales, Lampeter.
Local Development Plan
The public consultation on Torfaen County Borough Council's new Local Development Plan (LDP) took place during April and May 2011. Torfaen Friends of the Earth have objected to specific aspects of the LDP - find out more by reading our submission.
Torfaen County Borough Council are consulting on ‘alternative sites’, areas of land that members of the public and others have argued during the LDP public consultation should either be excluded from or included within the LDP. The consultation ends at 5pm on Wednesday the 10th of August. The alternative sites includes a request from Torfaen FoE to remove the South Sebastopol site from the LDP.
A key concern in the LDP is the extent of proposed housing development. In total, sites for approximately 6,000 new dwellings have been selected - some of which are included in the current LDP - including 1,700 dwellings in Mamhilad, 1,200 in South Sebastopol, 456 at the Police College in St. Dials, 450 in Llantarnam, 250 on the County Hall/Police HQ site together with 300 dwellings and a hospital to be built in Llanfrechfa.
Further sites for residential developments in Torfaen are identified in the proposed LDP and include The British, Pontypool College, The Tranch Animal Pound, Trevethin Comprehensive School, Canalside Cwmbrân, Hollybush School Coed Eva, Hillside School Blaenavon, Brooklands School Llantarnam, and at St Peter's School and allotments in Blaenavon.
Details of these sites are already available in the Planning section of Torfaen Council's website and the scale of the proposed developments can be appreciated by examining the Local Development Plan.
Llanfrechfa Grange Hospital
Members are campaigning against a proposal to build a total of 600 houses on the site of the Llanfrechfa Grange Hospital.
More information can be found on the Friends of Llanfrechfa Action Group website
Stop the Quarry
A planning application has been made to Torfaen County Borough Council to quarry aggregates from a canyon at Tirpentwys near the busy A472 Pontypool to Crumlin. The canyon offers a variety of habitats for wildlife, and proposed access roads would cut through ancient woodland.
More information can be found on the Stop the Quarry website