Issue - meetings

Application for the erection of 3 affordable residential units (two dwellings and a bungalow).

LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Beca Brown

Link to relevant background documents

DECISION: To delegate powers to the Head of Environment Department to approve the application, subject to a 106 agreement to transfer the units to a housing association, along with the following conditions:

1.    In accordance with the plans.

2.    Five years.

3.    Land drainage

4.    Materials

5.    Removal of permitted development rights

6.    Welsh Water Condition

7.    Highway conditions (completion of entrance, parking, estate road and bin collection area)

8.    Landscaping

9.    Biodiversity enhancements

10.  Details of the boundary fence

11.  A Welsh name for the development / estate road and the individual dwellings.

12.  Restricted to C3 use only.

13.  A condition for protecting the cesspool area.

Application for the erection of three affordable residential units (two houses and a bungalow)

Attention was drawn to the late observations form which contained observations from the  Strategic Housing Unit.

a)    The Planning Manager highlighted  that this was a full application for the erection of three social affordable houses, a pair of two-storey houses and one bungalow. It was intended to construct a new entrance to create an access road within the site as well as provide eight parking spaces and a bin collection area. It was explained that the application was originally submitted for four two-storey houses but the plan was amended to three following public objections and the officers' concerns regarding the plan. The application was submitted to committee because of the local interest and objection to the application.

In terms of the principle of the development, it was noted that the proposed houses were located between the site of the Glyntwrog public house and a single-storey semi-detached house known as Bryn Siriol. It was added that the site was on a slight slope and had not been designated for a specific use; the site was outside the development boundary of Llanrug, but immediately abutted the development boundary of Llanrug as defined in the LDP. It was explained that Llanrug had been identified as a Local Service Centre in the LDP but since the site was located outside the development boundary, policy TAI 16 ('Exception Sites') applied to the proposal. Policy TAI 16 enabled housing developments on sites that were outside, but abutted the development boundary but it had to be ensured that the proposal complied effectively with Policy requirements.

The indicative supply level of housing for Llanrug over the Plan period, as noted in Appendix 5 of the LDP, was 61 units (including a 10% 'slippage allowance', which meant that the method of calculating the figure had taken into account potential unforeseen circumstances which could influence the provision of housing, e.g. land ownership matters, infrastructure restrictions, etc.). During the period 2011 to 2023, a total of 51 units had been completed in Llanrug (37 on windfall sites and 14 on housing designations T44 and T45). The windfall land bank, i.e. sites with extant planning permission on sites not designated for housing, in April 2023, was five units. One unit on designation T44 (Cae'r Ysgol) remained in the land bank (started in April 2023). This therefore was a shortfall of four units.

Based on this information, and since this development would not mean that Llanrug exceeded its indicative supply level, there was no need for a justification based on the number of houses in Llanrug. Nevertheless, as the site was located outside the development boundary and could be considered as a rural exception site, policy PCYFF 1 and TAI 16 also asked for justification.

Policy TAI 15 and SPG Affordable Housing, required that new houses were of a size, scale and design that were in keeping with an affordable house. In accordance with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9