Bridgend County Borough Council is set to lobby Welsh Government over issues with vacant and deteriorating land, after it emerged there are around 60 sites in the county with planning permission where development has not progressed.
The discussion took place at a full council meeting in October 2026, where Maesteg East councillor Martin Hughes asked how many sites in the borough had planning permission for housing but no work had progressed.
Maesteg chapel site cited
Councillor Hughes referenced his own ward in Maesteg, where the former Libanus Chapel site on Bridgend Road has sat empty despite being granted permission for the development of four houses in both 2018 and 2024.
In part of his question he said: "At a time of pressing and unprecedented housing need in our communities, it is concerning that there are plots of land with planning permission for residential development which are left dormant for excessive periods of time."
During discussions, he revealed there were currently around 60 sites in Bridgend county in a similar situation, asking that the cabinet member for regeneration and housing refer proposals to Welsh Government that could speed up development. These could include the introduction of financial penalties as well as the streamlining of compulsory purchase order procedures.
Council response and legal limits
In response, councillor Colin Davies said he shared frustrations over undeveloped sites which in many cases had a lot of work done on them by planning officers and development control, adding that it would be worthwhile for him to write to the relevant Welsh Government minister.
Officers at the meeting said it was a difficult situation, with limits on what they could do under statutory planning law, in this case implementing time frames of three to five years for development to begin.
When it came to compulsory purchase orders, they said while they do use them, they were very difficult legal processes that could only be used as a last resort, with the authority preferring to use "carrot rather than stick".
They added that if there was detriment to the amenity of an area they could take enforcement action, though it was not in their power to push planning forward.
Devolved planning powers
However, they also noted that with planning devolved to Welsh Government, they would be happy to work with the newly elected administration, as well as the Cardiff Capital Region, to see if more could be done.
The discussion came alongside separate calls to introduce a new statutory recall mechanism for local councillors in Wales, allowing voters to remove an elected representative between elections.
