Health in planning: The role of health in Local Development Plans in Wales
Authors: Fiona Haigh, Amber Murphy, Jinhee Kim, Liz Green, Cheryl Williams
Published on: 30th July 2025
- WHIASU
The planning system in Wales operates at three levels: national, regional, and local. Local Development Plans (LDPs) guide land use and development at the local authority level.
This report, commissioned by Public Health Wales, Wales Health Impact Assessment Support Unit (WHIASU), presents a summary review of how health is included in Local Development Plans (LDPs) across Wales. The primary aim of this report is to inform WHIASU’s approach to supporting local governments in integrating health considerations into LDPs. The findings will also add value for other stakeholders working to improve health and wellbeing as it highlights opportunities for strengthening the inclusion of health in local plans. The review of Local Development Plans across Wales revealed several opportunities to strengthen their role in promoting population health and reducing health inequities. Currently, most LDPs address health-related factors indirectly through planning policies such as housing, transportation, and environmental quality. Few plans explicitly define health or health inequalities, and none include specific health indicators or measures. While all LDPs incorporate elements that influence social determinants of health, such as access to services and quality of housing, these connections to health outcomes are often implicit rather than clearly articulated. Our analysis found that LDPs already contain many elements that can support population health and wellbeing. By making these health implications explicit, defining key health concepts clearly, and incorporating measurable health indicators, LDPs could more effectively advance their potential to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequities across Welsh communities.
Report downloads
Health in planning: The role of health in Local Development Plans in Wales
PDF, 12MB
Download PDF - Health in planning: The role of health in Local Development Plans in Wales (12 MB)
Download PDFRelated reports
-
Urban health policies of Wales’ local authorities
An investigation of public health considerations in the Local Development Plans of Wales’ 22 local authorities.
Published on: 20th August 2025
-
Planning Healthy Places: A guide for local authorities in Wales for embedding health in planning policy
This guidance aims to support those working across urban and rural local authorities in Wales to consider, include and promote health and wellbeing through Local Development Plans (LDPs) and the […]
Published on: 20th November 2025
-
Delivering public health and well-being priorities through Local Development Plans (LDPs) in Wales
This report presents a summary of the methods and key findings of a review of how health is included in case study Local Development Plans (LDPs) in Wales and the […]
Published on: 6th November 2025
-
Urban health policies of Wales’ national park authorities
An investigation of public health considerations in the Local Development Plans of Wales’s three national park authorities.
Published on: 20th August 2025
-
Our decarbonisation and sustainability plan 2024 to 2026
This has highlighted, once again, the profound interdependence between population, societal, economic and environmental wellbeing. Executive summary In the last two years, Public Health Wales has also recognised its role […]
Published on:
-
Planning for better health and well-being in Wales
A briefing on integrating planning and public health for practitioners working in local planning authorities and health organisations in Wales.
Published on: