Rural Development Plan

For the latest RDP Update, please click here.

The Assembly’s Draft Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 supersedes the 2000-2006 Plan, which provided a broad range of support for rural activity and supporting rural communities.

The Rural Development Plan (RDP) provides a framework to:

• Strengthen our farming and forestry industries in Wales
• Safeguard and enhance our environment and rural heritage
• Foster competitive and sustainable businesses and thriving rural communities

The RDP has four axes and associated funding streams:

• Axis 1: Improving the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sectors
• Axis 2: Improving the environment and countryside, via farmers and landowners
• Axis 3: Improving the quality of life in rural areas and diversifying the rural economy
• Axis 4: Developing the LEADER approach (ie community involvement in improving and/or developing their communities)

Axis 3 helps to develop local infrastructure and human capital in rural areas to improve the conditions for growth and job creation in all sectors and the diversification of economic activities. Axis 3 will look to support activities such as:

Providing a broader range of better paid employment opportunities;

Helping to raise economic activity rates;

• Enhancing or providing additional mainstream services for the rural economy;
• Providing openings for future economic development, including tourism and craft activities;
• Improving the physical environment of villages and conserving the rural heritage;
• Addressing social exclusion by providing better links between urban and rural areas.

Axis 4 based on the Leader experience introduces possibilities for innovative governance through locally based bottom-up approaches to rural development. Axis 4 will look to support:

• Stakeholder partnership activity;
• Area identity and new product development;
• The natural environment;
• Sustainable rural services;
• Outdoor activities, tourism development and well-being.

RURAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR WALES AND BRIDGEND COUNTY BOROUGH

Certain wards within the County Borough of Bridgend are eligible for support from the Rural Development Plan for Wales from 2007 to 2013.

There are 4 categories of wards:

• Rural wards
• Service centre
• Host Ward
• Ineligible ward

Rural Ward

A ward with a solely or predominantly Rural or Small Town Output area population profile. Projects can be located in the ward with the full benefits arising from the project accruing to it. The eligible wards within Bridgend county borough are:

Service Centre Wards

A ward with a predominantly ‘SmallTown’ or ‘LargeTown’ Output Area population profile with either some ‘Rural’ Output Area population or with strong links to the surrounding rural areas supported by non-statistical evidence provided by the Local Authority. Projects can be located in the

ward with up to 30% of the benefits arising from the project accruing to that ward but the balance must accrue to the surrounding rural wards. The service centre wards within Bridgend county borough are:

The Bridgend Rural Development Partnership has been established and has submitted the Bridgend Local Development Strategy to the Welsh

Assembly Government (WAG). This was approved and a Business Plan to cover the first phase of the programme, 1 April 2008 – 31 December 2010, now has to be submitted by 30 November 2007.

Please note that the County Borough Council and its partners cannot access any of the funding until the business plan has been submitted and approval is given by the Welsh Assembly Government. Approvals are anticipated by the end of March 2008 to allow for projects to start from June 2008. However,the submission of business plans is a competitive process and there is no guarantee that Bridgend Business Plan will be financed by the Welsh Assembly Government.

For further information please contact the Regeneration Funding Team on 01656 672921.