The Plan aims to maintain and improve Bangor's status as a settlement of national significance and a strategic centre for the North West. A higher proportion of housing units, employment, retail and leisure. Housing units provided through urban capacity (infill, windfall, re-use of buildings, and long-term vacant housing back in use) and allocations. Allocations take the form of estate-scale development where appropriate. A proportion of affordable housing will be required. The Plan promotes opportunities for varied employment opportunities on the Bryn Cegin regional strategic site and Parc Menai sub-regional strategic site. Provide opportunities for both start-up, and encourage clusters of businesses. It also attempts to provide for retail growth to maintain the city's important regional role in offering a choice of comparison and convenience goods.

Urban Service Centres

Amlwch, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Holyheadi, Caernarfon, Llangefni, Porthmadog and Pwllheli

These have a sub-county role in terms of providing a wide range of services and facilities for their own population and parts of the counties. Some, i.e.Llangefni and Caernarfon also have an administrative function for their counties.

The Plan aims to ensure that the economic potential of Urban Service Centres is maximised. It will match their role for the local economy with a corresponding growth in varied housing units. New enterprises will be encouraged to set up and grow as will opportunities for expansion, focussing on their unique strengths, e.g. linkages to the nuclear sector, tourism and leisure. Housing will meet general need and affordable housing on allocated sites, windfall and infill sites, re-use of buildings and long term vacant housing. It will encourage community, health, leisure and entertainment facilities in them. A range of comparison and convenience shopping will be promoted.

These are recognized as centres for facilities and services meeting the needs of their own populations and their direct catchment areas. They have some employment and retail opportunities and very good links with either an Urban Service Centre or the Sub-Regional Centre, whichever is nearest.

Maintain and vary their employment and service opportunities and thus their function in the network of settlements. This will increase the opportunity for surrounding rural communities to easily access basic facilities and services. Housing growth will be guided to bring about opportunities for open market housing, unless the evidence indicates that the need is for local market housing. Relatively smaller housing allocations, windfall and infill sites, re-use of buildings and long term vacant homes. All of these Centres will contribute to meeting the need for affordable housing units. Convenience shopping to meet day-to-day needs and specialist or independent shops.

Bethel, Bontnewydd, Botwnnog, Chwilog, Deiniolen, Gwalchmai, Llannerch-y-medd, Newborough, Rachub, Tremadog, Y Ffôr.

They contain a number of local facilities and services, which include at least one key service or facility. They are obviously able to meet the day to day needs of households within them and in their area.

The degree of development will be led by local requirements for employment and local housing, commensurate with the individual settlements.

A higher proportion of housing will be guided to the Service Villages compared to other Villages. There will be housing allocations in the Service Villages, where appropriate to provide appropriate open market housing (unless the evidence indicates that the need is for local market housing) and a proportion of affordable housing.

In order to reflect the character and role of the other Villages, a more limited level of housing units will be promoted, to meet the needs of local communities themselves and reduce opportunities, particularly in the Coastal Villages, for new housing stock to be used as summer or holiday homes. New provision most likely to be provided through infill sites, re-use of buildings or completion of larger sites already benefitting from planning consent. An emphasis will be on the provision of homes that are affordable for local communities or local market housing, where the evidence supports this approach.

The emphasis will be on retention of existing day-to-day services and facilities, unless evidence supports an alternative approach.