Issue - meetings

Change of use from a nursing home (Use Class C2 - residential institutions) into a serviced hostel for holiday use (Unique Use) with ancillary warden's living accommodation (re-submission).

LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Elwyn Jones

Link to relevant background documents

DECISION: TO REFUSE, contrary to the recommendation

Reasons:

·         Concern regarding the nature, scale and density of the development and its effect having a negative impact on the residential amenities of local residents - contrary to policy PCYFF 2 and TWR 2

·         Over-use of the narrow road leading to the site

Change of use from a care home (C2 Use Class – residential establishments) to a serviced hostel for holiday use (Unique Use) with ancillary warden's living accommodation (resubmission).

Attention was drawn to the late observations form.

a)     The Development Control Team Leader highlighted that the proposal related to changing the use of a former older people nursing home to a 25-room serviced holiday hostel use with living accommodation for a warden. It was noted that the site was located on the outskirts of the village of Penisarwaun, and the care home had been redundant since 2018. It was reported that the building would provide storage areas, drying rooms, games, washing/shower facilities, a kitchen and dining room and would also provide a small extension to form a lobby for the main entrance. No other external change was proposed.

It was highlighted that the application was a re-submission of a similar scheme that had been refused in 2023 due to a lack of information regarding bed capacity, which would raise concerns about harmful amenity impacts to local residents along with a lack of information about the warden accommodation and parking provision.

It was clarified that the application, in response to the above refusal reasons, confirmed that the maximum number of residents would be 60; the warden's accommodation was completely separate, and 42 parking spaces had been provided on the site which met the Welsh Government's parking standards requirements.

In considering the application, the importance of the site's planning history and the nature of its previous legal use as a care home was noted; and, the number of residents, the high level of staff necessary to provide the care along with additional attendees such as families and health services. It was considered that the development would not significantly increase the site's density of use compared with the former use, and that this could be ensured by imposing a condition to limit the facility to a maximum of 60 at a time. It was recognised that the nature of holiday accommodation use of this type could cause disruption that was significantly different to previous uses, however, it was highlighted that these impacts could be managed by imposing a planning condition to ensure that a management plan was in place that would commit the managers to adopt appropriate measures to control noise, transport and residents' behaviour and to deal with complaints.

In addition, it was noted that the proposal would provide serviced accommodation for visitors, which was different to self-service accommodation, and there was no excess of this type of accommodation in the local area.

Having considered all the relevant planning issues, the principle of the development, visual, general and residential amenities, transport and access matters, sustainability, infrastructure, biodiversity and the Welsh Language, the proposal was considered acceptable.

b)     Taking advantage of the right to speak, an objector to the application made the following observations:

·        The application was identical to the refused application.

·        The increase in use was significant – it would affect the local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7