Strategic planning guidance for the Gwent Levels National Natural Resource Area (Future Wales Policy 9)

This consultation is seeking your views on draft planning guidance for the Gwent Levels: Draft Strategic Planning Guidance for the Gwent Levels National Natural Resource Area (Future Wales Policy 9) (referred to as 'the guidance'). 

The aim of the guidance is to provide clarity on how the distinctive and important landscape of the Gwent Levels should be taken into account in the planning system. It supplements Policy 9 of the National Development Framework (Future Wales) which identifies the Gwent Levels as a National Natural Resource Area due to its ecological and cultural significance and importance for biodiversity, recreation, flood alleviation, carbon storage and food production. 

The guidance identifies practical solutions that can be applied by planners and other stakeholders through the planning system to ensure development contributes to an enhancing of this landscape and its important features.

The Gwent Levels is a distinctive historic and ecological landscape—an extensive reclaimed coastal plain stretching from Cardiff to Chepstow along the Severn Estuary. Shaped by over two millennia of human intervention, the Levels are defined by their engineered drainage system of reens, ditches, and grips, which enables productive agriculture while supporting rich biodiversity. Comprising the Wentloog and Caldicot Levels, the area is protected by sea walls and recognised for its exceptional natural and cultural value through a network of SSSIs and international designations linked to the Severn Estuary, as well as its status as a Landscape of Outstanding Historic Interest.

Despite the designations, the Gwent Levels continues to be vulnerable to encroachment by development due to its location and topography. Further, other processes such as lack of appropriate land management and water pollution are in combination resulting in degradation and fragmentation of the Levels, all threatening the overall condition of its designations including the SSSIs.  

The Gwent Levels has been given national planning status by being identified as a ‘National Natural Resource Area’ (NNRA) in Policy 9 of the National Development Framework (Future Wales). It has been identified as such an area due to its ecological and cultural significance and importance for biodiversity, recreation, flood alleviation, carbon storage and food production. This has resulted in a need for Strategic Planning Guidance to be prepared for the Levels that supplements that policy. 

The guidance has arisen as a result of extensive stakeholder engagement and evidence gathering on how this distinctive and important landscape should be taken into account in the planning system. Evidence collated to inform the guidance has identified a need for practical solutions that can be applied by planners and other stakeholders through the planning system to ensure development contributes to an enhancing of this landscape and its important features, rather than being to its detriment. 

The guidance has been prepared to allow local authority planners and other stakeholders to implement Policy 9 in relation to the Gwent Levels. It does this by setting out a series of Strategic Principles and Actions (see Section 7 of The Guidance) which focus on what future land-use proposals should be considering in regard to safeguarding and enhancing ecological aspects of the Gwent Levels and what collaborative action should be undertaken by local authorities and others to achieve those aims. Additionally, the guidance provides information on how stakeholders can apply the Resilient Ecological Network (REN) mapping prepared by Natural Resources Wales (see Section 6 of The Guidance) for planning decision making purposes. 

It should be noted however that a large part of the Gwent Levels are covered by various statutory designations, including SSSIs. Planning Policy Wales sets out a presumption against development in such designated areas and therefore development in those particular areas will be extremely limited.

Sections 1 to 4 provide contextual information that describes why and how the guidance has been developed. 

Section 1 (Purpose, Scope, and Status of The Guidance) sets out why the guidance is needed, the issues it seeks to address, and the extent of its application. It also confirms the status of the guidance. In summary, the requirements for the guidance have arisen due to its designation as an NNRA by Policy 9 of Future Wales. The Policy requires that stakeholders work together to identify resilient ecological networks, safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem resilience and maximise opportunities for green infrastructure. The guidance therefore addresses these matters specifically in the context of the Gwent Levels. This Guidance provides clarity as to how the NNRA designation is to be applied in relation to the Gwent Levels and how any development proposals should be determined. The status of the guidance is confirmed under Section 3 as being Strategic Planning Guidance, supplementing the National Development Framework – Future Wales. Policy 9 of Future Wales confirms the Gwent Levels as one of nine National Natural Resource Areas.

Section 2 (Developing the Guidance) gives an overview of the evidence base that has informed development of the guidance, including preparation of the Integrated Sustainability Appraisal. 

Section 3 (Development Plan and Policy Context) provides an overview of the policy framework that is to be taken into account alongside the guidance. It provides further information on the application of policies and related documentation including Policy 9 of Future Wales, Chapter 6 of Planning Policy Wales, Area Statements and the application of Resilient Ecological Networks including associated mapping.

Section 4 (The Gwent Levels – a unique Welsh Landscape) provides detailed context on the Gwent Levels, including its history and further information on its features and designations. It also signposts to key documents providing further useful information on the Gwent Levels, including relevant landscape assessments. 

Question 1: 

Do sections 1 to 4 provide sufficient information on the context to the Gwent Levels Planning Guidance. If not, how should sections 1 to 4 be updated?

Section 5 sets out the main issues, problems and threats currently affecting the Gwent Levels. It lists the evidence base documents that have informed the identification of the issues and challenges and then goes on to set them out in further detail. Those issues and challenges set out in the guidance are: 

• Fragmentation of existing designations, protected sites and habitats and risk to wider ecosystem resilience.
• Risk to favourable condition of the features and characteristics of functionally linked habitats. 
• Vulnerability of species to significant loss.
• Issues associated with the integrity of the water network including storage capacity and susceptibility to flooding. 
• Impacts on landscape character including the historic landscape and issues associated with light pollution. 
• Declining of traditional systems for food production. 
• Risk to the level and quality of carbon stores. 
• Impacts to air quality. 
• Accessibility and amenities issues facing the local communities. 
• Littering and fly-tipping. 
• Planning related issues that have been identified as a result of how land-use management and development proposals have been determined for the Gwent Levels. 

Question 2: 

Does Section 5 provide sufficient information on the current issues and challenges affecting the Gwent Levels? If not, please set out the evidence source and a description of how Section 5 should be updated.

Section 6 sets out that due to its exceptional ecological and natural resource value, Policy 9 of Future Wales has designated the Gwent Levels as a National Natural Resource Area (NNRA). Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has undertaken Resilient Ecological Network (REN) mapping for the Gwent Levels NNRA as per the Policy 9 requirements. This mapping is adopted by the Welsh Government through the guidance. Along with developing the NNRA area, two zones within the NNRA were identified: the Core Zone and the Recovery (Opportunity) Zone.

The guidance sets out the background information for how NRW determined these Zones through REN mapping. In summary, the NNRA was designed to be large enough to encompass the core habitats and provides opportunities for wider resilience within the Gwent Levels. The Core Zones outline the nature-rich and biodiverse areas of the Levels, consisting of existing high-quality semi-natural habitats and species which can spread into the wider landscape should conditions allow. The Recovery (Opportunity) Zones were designed to strengthen the Core as NRW identified its opportunities to restore, create and manage the adjoining land and water to better help the Core function and protect it from external pressures.

Section 6 identifies that local authorities should continue to work with NRW and other relevant partners to update and maintain the REN mapping for the NNRA. Land-use proposals should make effective use of the REN mapping to enhance and protect the Levels.

Question 3: 

Does Section 6 provide sufficient clarity on how the Resilient Ecological Network (REN) Mapping should be applied alongside the guidance in planning decision making on the Gwent Levels? If not, how should Section 6 be clarified?

Section 7 sets out the Strategic Principles and Actions to be applied to the Gwent Levels through the guidance. They are divided into three Principles – one for each of the spatial areas of the Gwent Levels, those being the National Natural Resource Area (NNRA), the Core Zone, and the Recovery (Opportunity) Zone – and fourteen Actions which sit under them. the guidance sets out how the Strategic Principles reflect and build on the identification of the Gwent Levels as a NNRA under Policy 9 of Future Wales, setting out the requirements for each spatial area.

In summary, these Principles and Actions have been developed to clarify the requirements of Policy 9 on the Gwent Levels in order to strengthen and safeguard its habitats, biodiversity and landscape interests. Whilst Policy 9 sets out the need to further define the spatial extent of the NNRA, the Core Zone and Recovery (Opportunity) Zone have been developed by Natural Resources Wales. The three spatial areas are adopted by the Welsh Government through the guidance to assist with mitigating development pressures upon the most ecologically valuable areas of the Levels. 

The Principles and Actions emphasise the need for land-use proposals to be sustainable, by considering how they contribute towards Net Benefit for Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure and to consider their impacts on ecological networks, key habitats and species. They are designed to direct development away from the ecologically valuable Core Zone (in line with PPW) and into the wider NNRA. Additionally, they ensure consideration will be given to the impacts from development on the Gwent Levels that could affect the linkages between the Core Zone and the wider NNRA through the Recovery (Opportunity) Zone.

Question 4: 

Do you agree with the three Strategic Principles to be applied for the Gwent Levels as set out under Section 7? If not, please specify in turn which Strategic Principles you disagree with and explain why.

Question 5: 

Do you agree with the fourteen Actions to be applied for the Gwent Levels as set out under Section 7? If not, please specify in turn which Actions you disagree with and explain why.

Question 6: 

Do you have any examples of good practice you consider the guidance should signpost that can help to deliver on any of the Strategic Principles and Actions? 

Implementation and monitoring

The Welsh Government will monitor implementation of the guidance. Once a regional planning framework for the Gwent Levels areas is in place, the Welsh Government expects local authorities to take forward implementation and review of the guidance through their Strategic Development Plan (SDP) preparation process. 

Question 7: 

Do you have any suggestions for implementation or monitoring that you consider should be covered in the guidance?

Improving the guidance

In addition to the questions set out above, we would like your thoughts on any other suggestions you may have for improving the guidance. 

Question 8: 

Do you have any other suggestions for improving the guidance?

Welsh language

With regards to impacts on the use of the Welsh language, it is considered the guidance would likely have no short or long-term impact as that is addressed by other mechanisms, including by Technical Advice Note (TAN) 20: Planning and the Welsh Language in respect of the planning system. However, we would ask if you can consider any effects the guidance would have on the use of the Welsh language in your responses.  

Question 9: 

We would like to know your views on the effects that the guidance would have on the Welsh language, specifically on opportunities for people to use Welsh and on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than English. What effects do you think there would be? How could positive effects be increased, or negative effects be mitigated?

Question 10: 

Please also explain how you believe the guidance could be formulated or changed so as to have positive effects or increased positive effects on opportunities for people to use the Welsh language and on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than the English language, and no adverse effects on opportunities for people to use the Welsh language and on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than the English language.

Integrated Sustainability Appraisal and the Draft Environmental Report

Alongside the guidance, further information and evidence has informed its drafting including an Integrated Sustainability Appraisal (ISA). This is referred to as the Draft Environmental Report. The ISA is a method of assessing the wider impacts of the outcomes of the guidance and the Strategic Principles and Actions, and a means of ensuring they contribute to the Welsh Government's cultural, economic, environmental and social ambitions. 

Question 11: 

Do you have any comments on the Integrated Sustainability Appraisal; the Draft Environmental Report, accompanying the guidance? In particular, do you have any monitoring indicators you consider would strengthen the Integrated Sustainability Appraisal? 

Question 1: 

Do sections 1 to 4 provide sufficient information on the context to the Gwent Levels Planning Guidance. If not, how should sections 1 to 4 be updated?

Question 2: 

Does Section 5 provide sufficient information on the current issues and challenges affecting the Gwent Levels? If not, please set out the evidence source and a description of how Section 5 should be updated.

Question 3: 

Does Section 6 provide sufficient clarity on how the Resilient Ecological Network (REN) Mapping should be applied alongside the guidance in planning decision making on the Gwent Levels? If not, how should Section 6 be clarified?

Question 4: 

Do you agree with the three Strategic Principles to be applied for the Gwent Levels as set out under Section 7? If not, please specify in turn which Strategic Principles you disagree with and explain why.

Question 5: 

Do you agree with the fourteen Actions to be applied for the Gwent Levels as set out under Section 7? If not, please specify in turn which Actions you disagree with and explain why.

Question 6: 

Do you have any examples of good practice you consider the guidance should signpost that can help to deliver on any of the Strategic Principles and Actions? 

Question 7: 

Do you have any suggestions for implementation or monitoring that you consider should be covered in the guidance?

Question 8: 

Do you have any other suggestions for improving the guidance?

Question 9: 

We would like to know your views on the effects that the guidance would have on the Welsh language, specifically on opportunities for people to use Welsh and on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than English. What effects do you think there would be? How could positive effects be increased, or negative effects be mitigated?

Question 10: 

Please also explain how you believe the guidance could be formulated or changed so as to have positive effects or increased positive effects on opportunities for people to use the Welsh language and on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than the English language, and no adverse effects on opportunities for people to use the Welsh language and on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than the English language.

Question 11: 

Do you have any comments on the Integrated Sustainability Appraisal; the Draft Environmental Report, accompanying the guidance? In particular, do you have any monitoring indicators you consider would strengthen the Integrated Sustainability Appraisal? 

Submit your comments by 31 March 2026, in any of the following ways:

• complete our online form
• download, complete our response form and email: planconsultations-h@gov.wales 
• download, complete our response form and post to:

Strategic Planning Guidance for the Gwent Levels National Natural Resource Area
Planning Directorate
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

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Number: WG53882

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Related documents

• The National Development Framework: Future Wales: the national plan 2040
• Planning policy Wales