Agenda, decisions and minutes

To accept any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillor Huw Rowlands

To receive any declaration of personal interest and to note protocol matters.

a)     The following members declared that they were local members in relation to the items noted:

·        Councillor Richard Glyn, (who was not a member of this Planning Committee), in item 5.1 (C25/0361/30/LL) on the agenda.

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration.

As a point of order, it was reported that since the Chair was joining the meeting virtually, the Monitoring Officer would be announcing the results of the voting on the applications.

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee, held on the 8^th of September 2025, be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee, held on 8 September 2025, as a true record.

To submit the report of the Head of Environment Department.

The Committee considered the following applications for development. Details of the applications were expanded upon and questions were answered in relation to the plans and policy aspects.

Demolition of Existing Rear Conservatory and Proposed Replacement Extension 

LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Ioan Thomas

Link to relevant background documents

DECISION: To approve subject to conditions

1          Five years to commence the work

2          In accordance with plans

3          In accordance with the green infrastructure statement

Information Note:

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water

Demolition of existing conservatory and erection of new extension to the rear.

a)      The Planning Officer highlighted that this was a householder application to demolish an existing conservatory and erect a new extension to the rear. It was explained that it was proposed to finish the extension with timber cladding, with high windows installed on the side elevations of the extension and bifold doors and large windows on the rear elevation of the property.

It was noted that the property was a detached house in an estate of other detached houses and within the Caernarfon development boundary. The property is not located within any special land designations and the application was submitted to the Committee as the applicant was an Elected Member of the Council.

It was reported that no objection had been received during the public consultation and that Welsh Water proposed advice and guidance to the applicant by letter.

In terms of design and residential amenity matters, it was not considered that the proposal would harm the existing appearance of the site, neither would it excessively impact the area's visual amenities in general. The building was considered standard in appearance, in terms of visual amenities therefore, it was believed that the proposal complied with the requirements of criteria 1 and 2 of policy PCYFF 3. In design terms, it was considered that there would be no impact on neighbouring amenities as this was a single-storey extension, and the rear windows and doors would not have a worse impact on private amenities compared with the existing conservatory.

Attention was drawn to the proposed biodiversity improvements such as installing bird and bat boxes. It was noted that should the application be granted, it would be possible to set a condition to ensure that they were completed before the use of the proposed extension would commence.

It was considered that the proposal complied with planning guidelines and policies. The officers' recommendation was to approve the application with conditions.

b)           It was proposed and seconded to approve the application - the application was brought before the Committee as the applicant was an Elected Member.

In response to a question on Householders’ Permitted Development Rights and that those rights permitted extending by up to 4m and why then was the application submitted to the committee, it was noted that the extension measured 4.8 metres and therefore needed to be submitted to the committee for a decision.

RESOLVED: To approve with conditions

1.     Five years to commence the work

2.     In accordance with plans

3.     In accordance with the green infrastructure statement

Information Note: Welsh Water

Change of Use Planning Application to site 12 Holiday Lodges on land at Y Ffor, Pwllheli. 

LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Richard Glyn Roberts

Link to relevant background documents

DECISION: To Refuse

Reasons 

1.     The site of the cabins and associated works, due to their number, location, design, setting and appearance in the landscape, and increase in the hard surface plots, would result in a prominent and intrusive feature in open countryside and would have a detrimental impact on the landscape and visual amenities of the rural area as well as leading to an excess of permanent sites in the local area. The proposal is therefore contrary to criteria 1.i and ii. of policy TWR 3 and policy PCYFF 3, of the Anglesey and Gwynedd Joint Local Development Plan (July 2017) and Supplementary Planning Guidance: Holiday Accommodation.

2.     The scale of the proposal would create excessive movement along the county road together with an increase in activities, causing noise and disturbance to the detriment of the amenity of local residents. Therefore, the proposal is considered to be contrary to policy PCYFF 2 of the Anglesey and Gwynedd Joint Local Development Plan (July 2017).

3.     There is insufficient information in the form of details of the location and size of the drainage area as well as the results of percolation tests in connection with the proposed Sewerage Treatment System. The proposal is, therefore, contrary to the policy requirements of ISA 1 of the Anglesey and Gwynedd Joint Local Development Plan (July 2017) which ensures adequate infrastructure provision.

4.     Insufficient information including a geophysical survey has been submitted as part of the application, and therefore no conclusion can be drawn about the proposal's compliance with policy AT4 of the Anglesey and Gwynedd Joint Local Development Plan (July 2017) which safeguards undesignated archaeological sites and their setting.

Change of use application for the letting of 12 Holiday Cabins on land at Y Ffôr, Pwllheli

Attention was drawn to the late observations form.

a)           The Planning Manager highlighted that it was an application to develop a new holiday accommodation in the form of 12 permanent holiday cabins and associated parking, drainage and landscaping. The wooden cabins would be timber clad and stained in a conservation colour and each would include bedrooms, a bathroom, living room and kitchen-diner. 

It was reported that the units would be placed in the corner of an agricultural field in open countryside. Although there is no special landscape designation to the application area, it does have the appearance and character of an undeveloped rural landscape with several residential properties, not in the applicant's ownership, located near the site.

It was noted that it was intended to provide a private clean and foul water drainage system for the proposal however the developer had not submitted the results of any porosity/ percolation tests in relation to the private sewerage system. A landscaping plan was submitted with the application showing a proposal to plant a vast number of trees along the south-western and south-eastern boundary of the site, as well as reinforce the current hedge along the county road; however, details of that plan were not received with the application.

It was highlighted that Policy TWR 3 was the relevant policy in this application as the cabins would be there permanently. It was noted that the first part of the policy referred directly to an intensification of new developments. It was reiterated, in order to define 'intensification', attention was drawn to the explanation in 6.3.69 of policy TWR 3 which referred to the 'Anglesey, Gwynedd and Eryri National Park Landscape Sensitivity and Capacity Study' 2014. Within each Landscape Character Area the landscape's character is assessed to ascertain the capacity of the local landscape for further developments of holiday chalets or caravans.  

It was reiterated that this specific development fell under the Landscape Character Area G10 (Canol Llŷn) and the study noted, "Outside the AONBs there may be very limited capacity for developments typically comprising of small scale to very small scale, sensitively sited and well planned developments that should relate well to the existing built environment / urban ground cover". It was noted that the Study defined very small developments as those of up to 10 units and small developments as those between 10 and 25 units." Although the site in question fell within the definition of a small development, it was not considered that this site was one that related well to the built environment or urban ground cover, and on this basis, it was not considered that there was capacity for the proposal on this rural site.

Attention was drawn to the second criterion which referred to the design, layout and appearance of the proposed development stating that is was of high quality, and that new developments should be located in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.