Issue - meetings

Roadside services and associated works

LOCAL MEMBERS: Councillor Menna Trenholme and Councillor Cai Larsen

Link to relevant background documents

DECISION: To refuse, contrary to the recommendation

Reasons:

Reasons:

1.     The proposal does not fully align with the sustainability principles - in accordance with policy PS6.

2.     The proposal would have a detrimental impact on the area's amenities and those of nearby residents - contrary to criterion 7 of policy PCYFF 2.

3.     The proposal would have a detrimental visual impact - contrary to policy PCYFF 3.

4.     The proposal does not sufficiently mitigate the impact in terms of biodiversity or biodiversity enhancements - contrary to the requirements of policy PS19.

Roadside services and associated work.

Some Committee Members had visited the site on 8 July 2026.

a)     The Senior Planning Officer highlighted that this was a full application for a service station which would provide fuel to vehicles, including an associated shop for a site near the Meifod roundabout. It was explained that the site had been located directly adjacent to the A487 strategic road network and access to the site would be from the roundabout on Pwllheli Road. It was elaborated that the site was outside the development boundary as noted in the LDP; although the site was not located within any other land designations, it was within the Afon Gwyrfai Special Area of Conservation consultation zone on the basis of Phosphorus impact and approximately 300m away from a Wildlife Site.

It was considered that the development would not impede the movement of strategic traffic and confirmation was received that the entrance was safe in terms of highway safety. In addition, the shop located within the same building as the till area for fuel would be an ancillary element to the primary purpose of providing fuel and breaks from travelling, and therefore it was not considered that the shop would likely undermine the retail provision of nearby centres; it complied with Policy TRA 1 of the LDP.

It was elaborated that there was a clear functional and locational rationale for the proposed site, and there were no sites that were more appropriate within the development boundaries. It was considered that the proposal was acceptable in principle under the requirements of Policy PCYFF 1 - the site offered a suitable location within the landscape to provide the development, restricting its visual impact and respecting the landscape and the local environment; consequently, it complied with the relevant requirements of policies PCYFF 3 and PCYFF 4 of the LDP.

It was not expected for the proposal to significantly add to the existing disruption or disrupt residential amenities to an unacceptable extent, subject to relevant conditions. To this end, it was considered that the development complied with policies PCYFF 2 and 3 of the LDP as a result of residential and general amenities.

In the context of transport and access matters, the Transportation Unit had no concerns in terms of traffic levels in and out of the site, nor in terms of the internal arrangements.  It was reiterated that the Government's Trunk Roads Unit was also satisfied with the proposal. It was reported that the conditions would be imposed to ensure that the surface water was appropriately managed and to protect the car share provision.

In the context of biodiversity matters, it was noted that the proposed site was located within the consultation zone of the Afon Gwyrfai Special Area of Conservation on the basis of Phosphorus impact, and in particular because there was an intention to connect to the main sewer (the Waste Treatment Site serving the area was the Llanfaglan site which discharged into Afon Gwyrfai). It was reiterated that information  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10