THE consultation has launched focusing on Carmarthenshire’s next Local Development Plan (LDP).

Anyone with an interest in building, land development, their local communities and how Carmarthenshire will be shaped in the future, is invited to get involved and have their say.

The LDP is a key county council document that guides decisions on the location and amount of new homes that can be built, along with associated jobs and community benefits, whilst also protecting the environment.

Officers are now preparing the next LDP which will set out the planning framework for the county through to 2033.

The process can take a number of years, but is expected to be complete by the end of 2021.

A number of public consultations will be held before the final document is agreed.

The first, allowing residents and interested parties to comment on the delivery agreement with its timetable for the plan’s publication, and community involvement proposals has just been opened.

It can be viewed on the council’s website at carmarthenshire.gov.uk.

A second consultation, a call for candidate sites, has also just opened, allowing anyone to submit sites for inclusion within the LDP for uses such as housing, as well as requests for suggested areas to be protected from development. The sites will be assessed and considered for inclusion as part of the preparation of the LDP.

The council’s executive board member for planning, Councillor Mair Stephens, said: “People have a large role to play in the future of Carmarthenshire, and should ensure their voices are heard as we progress towards setting a new LDP.

"This will be the framework within which we will decide future planning applications, and will guide investments from other public services and infrastructure providers.

“We encourage anyone with an interest to get involved and take part in the consultation.”