Bridgend Council met on Wednesday 24 September 2025, and addressed topics including planning guidance, social services, and concerns about pollution on local beaches and rivers. The council adopted the final form of the Retail and Commercial Development Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG), approved the 2024-25 Director of Social Services Annual Report, and agreed to note the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) findings report and associated action plan. Additionally, the council agreed to delegate authority to political group leaders and Councillor Tim Thomas to finalise the wording of a motion regarding planning reform.

Planning Reform Motion

The council agreed to delegate authority to the political group leaders, along with Councillor Tim Thomas, to work with officers and seek legal advice to finalise the wording of a motion regarding planning reform to ensure it is effective and legally sound. The motion, proposed by Councillor Tim Thomas, addresses planning reform to level up the needs of communities with high volume developers. The council agreed that the wording should be finalised as soon as possible and circulated to all members, rather than brought back to the October meeting for a vote, to avoid delay in the resolution of this motion.

The motion notes:

• Welsh Government is considering proposals for planning reform in Wales.
• The planning system is important in delivering sustainable development, affordable housing, and community infrastructure.
• Section 106 agreements¹, planning consents, and the quality and standards of new builds are central to maintaining public confidence in the planning system.
• Poor delivery against agreed obligations, or poor standards in the quality of new homes, undermines trust and damages communities.

The council believes:

• Robust delivery of Section 106 agreements, planning consents, and consistently high standards in new housing developments is essential.
• Where delivery of planning obligations has been poor, or where the quality and standards of new builds have been inadequate, this should be treated as a material consideration in determining future planning applications from the same developer or associated parties.
• Serious and persistent offenders who repeatedly fail to meet obligations or quality standards should be placed on a register of poor performers and prohibited from bringing forward further development proposals for a defined period.
• Planning reform in Wales must strengthen accountability and enforcement to ensure developers deliver on both commitments and quality.

The council resolved to:

1. Call on the Leader of the Council to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Housing, and to the First Minister of Wales, welcoming the Welsh Government's work on planning reform and urging that it must include:
   • Stronger monitoring and enforcement of Section 106 agreements and planning consents.
   • A requirement for local planning authorities to consider both the track record of developers in delivering previous obligations and the quality of their completed developments as material planning considerations.
   • Greater powers for councils to refuse planning applications where developers have failed to honour commitments or where the standard of previous new builds has been poor.
   • The creation of a national register of poor-performing developers, with powers to prohibit serious and persistent offenders from undertaking new development for a number of years.
2. Circulate this motion to the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and to all local Members of the Senedd and Members of Parliament representing Bridgend County Borough, urging their support.

Retail and Commercial Development Supplementary Planning Guidance

The council adopted the final form of the Retail and Commercial Development SPG for immediate application in making development management decisions and in the determination of planning applications along with the adopted RLDP, subject to minor presentational changes, typographical or factual corrections.

The council:

• Noted the contents of the Council Report - Retail and Commercial Development SPG and approved the officer's consultation responses to the representations received following public consultation on the draft Retail and Commercial Development SPG, together with resultant amendments set out in the attached Appendix 2 - Consultation Representations Responses and Resultant Action.
• Authorised the Corporate Director – Communities and Group Manager – Planning and Development Services to make minor presentational changes, typographical or factual corrections as necessary prior to publication of the adopted Retail and Commercial Development SPG.

Social Services

The council approved the 2024-25 Director of Social Services Annual Report. Additionally, the council noted the CIW findings report and associated action plan.

Questions to Cabinet Members

Councillor Ian Williams asked the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Environment what pressure Bridgend County Borough Council are putting on SRS², NRW³ and WG⁴ to trace the source of pollution affecting beaches and rivers, including the River Ogmore, Newton Beach, Sandy Bay, Trecco Bay and Rest Bay. Councillor Ian Williams stated that residents are now exposed to this contamination on a regular basis, causing various medical issues, and that it is also having a negative impact on the economy of the county with residents seeking cleaner seas and beaches away from the beaches of Porthcawl. A supplementary question was asked by Councillor Davies which was responded to at the meeting.

Councillor Ian Spiller asked the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economic Development and Housing to confirm how many traffic-related incidents involving cars had been reported on Queen Street between 10am and 6pm from Thursday 26th June to Tuesday 29th of July 2025, when the town centre bollard was not operational. A supplementary question was asked by Councillor Davies which was responded to at the meeting.

Deferred Notices of Motion

Members agreed to defer the Notice of Motion proposed by Councillor Jane Gebbie and the Notice of Motion proposed by Councillor Rhys Goode to the next meeting of Council dated 22 October 2025.