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APOLOGIES To accept any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies
were received from Cllr Cai Larsen and Cllr Gareth A. Roberts |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST AND PROTOCOL MATTERS To receive any declaration of personal interest and to note protocol matters. Additional documents: Minutes: a)
The following member declared
that he was a local member in relation to the item noted: ·
Councillor Elfed Wyn ap
Elwyn (not a member of this Planning Committee), in relation to item 5.2
(C19/0154/03/LL) on the agenda |
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URGENT ITEMS To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration. Additional documents: Minutes: As a matter of order, it
was reported that since the Chair was joining the meeting virtually, the Legal
Officer would be announcing the results of the voting on the applications. |
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The
Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this
committee, held on, 19th May 2025, be signed as a true record. Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair accepted
the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 19 May 2025 as a
true record. |
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PLANNING APPLICATIONS To submit the report of the Head of Environment Department. Additional documents: Minutes: 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. |
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Erection of one
affordable dwelling with associated access, parking and landscaping (revised scheme). LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Craig ab Iago Link to relevant background documents Additional documents: Decision: DECISION: To refuse, in line with the recommendation Reasons: 1. The proposal is not appropriate as a logical extension
to the settlement because of its location and the current boundaries that
separate the settlement from the countryside in this location. The development
is therefore contrary to the requirements of policies PCYFF 1, TAI 15 and 16 of
the Gwynedd and Anglesey Joint Local Development Plan 2011-2026 and the
Supplementary Planning Guidance: Affordable Housing which ensure suitable
affordable housing developments as an exception on the peripheries of
development boundaries. 2. The local need for a self-built affordable house has
not been proved. The size of the proposed property and curtilage is too large
to enable the property to be affordable in the future and comply with the scale
of development density. The development is therefore contrary to the
requirements of policies TAI 15, TAI 16 and PCYFF 2 of the Gwynedd and Anglesey
Joint Local Development Plan 2011-2026 and the Supplementary Planning Guidance:
Affordable Housing which ensure development of an acceptable scale which would
be affordable in future. 3. The development is tantamount to erecting a new house
in open countryside without any justification and is contrary to the
requirements of policies PCYFF 1 and paragraph 6.4.36 of the Gwynedd and
Anglesey Joint Local Development Plan 2011-2026 and Technical Advice Note 6:
Planning for sustainable rural communities. Minutes: Application for erecting an
affordable dwelling with access, parking and associated landscaping (amended
plan). a)
The Planning Manager highlighted that this was a
full application for the erection of one affordable two-bedroom house with
access and parking on a site situated within an agricultural field on the
outskirts of Penygroes. It was explained
that a decision on the application, at the January 2024 committee, had been
deferred in order to receive written evidence of the applicant's position with
Tai Teg, together with confirmation that the applicant was eligible for a
self-built affordable house. It was added that the deferral had been a fair
opportunity for the applicant to also consider reducing the size of the house's
surface area and the size of the plot. It was reported that several attempts had
been made by officers to seek information, but there had been no progress with
the request. With almost a year and a half having elapsed, it was decided to
bring the application back to committee for a decision. The
reasons for refusal were highlighted, explaining that one reason related to the
location of the site - a site which was located on the outskirts and outside
the development boundary of the village of Penygroes. It was noted that with
the development boundary located on the boundary of the Glaslyn property with a
public footpath situated between the Glaslyn property and the application site,
this meant that the site did not adjoin the development boundary and therefore
failed to comply with the requirements of the TAI 16 policy as an exception
site for an affordable unit. In addition, this meant that the site was in the
open countryside, with no justification or need proved. The reason for refusal was cited, relating to the
size of the property and the curtilage which was too large to enable the
property to be affordable in the future and comply with the scale of
development density. It was added, again, that the local need for a self-built
affordable house had not been proved. It was considered
that the applicant had had sufficient time to modify the application and
despite the attempts of officers to receive information, it was reported that
there had been no progress. The
officers recommended that the application be refused. b)
It was proposed and
seconded to refuse the application. c)
During
the ensuing discussion, the following observations were made by Members: ·
The
application was submitted to the Committee at the Local Member's request, but
the Local Member was not present ·
The
site was outside the development boundary ·
Tai
Teg had refused the application ·
This
was the third time the application has been discussed at the committee ·
A
request for information had been made, but there was no change in the situation ·
Consistency
needed to be ensured ·
There
was a lack of contact from the applicant ·
In
the context of size – was it really bigger than an affordable house? Local
people didn't want to live in boxes! · The site seemed ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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APPLICATION No C19/0154/03/LL Market Hall, Church Street, Blaenau Ffestiniog, LL41 3HP Conversion
of building to 14 flats LOCAL
MEMBER: Councillor Elfed Wyn ap Elwyn Link
to relevant background documents Additional documents: Decision: DECISION: To refuse in line with the
recommendation Reason: No sufficient or current information have been submitted with this
application to assess the proposal against the requirements of policies PS1,
TAI 15 and PS19 Supplementary Planning Guidance: Maintaining and Creating
Distinctive and Sustainable Communities and Chapter 6 of Planning Policy Wales
(PPW), which deals with the impact on the Welsh language, provision of
affordable housing, green infrastructure and the net benefit to biodiversity. Minutes: Conversion of building into 14 flats a)
The
Planning Manager highlighted that it was a full application for change of use
and conversion of a building into 14 flats which would include eight
one-bedroom flats and six two-bedroom flats creating three new windows to the
side facing the railway, closing one opening facing the high street and
creating six new openings to face the adjacent church. It
was explained that a decision on the application had been deferred in the
Planning Committee in July 2019 following the receipt of the Language Unit's
observations which stated that there was a lack of information, and to discuss
with the applicant to try to understand the linguistic situation in the context
of the application. It was noted that a Language Impact Assessment, a Design
and Access Statement and an amended Viability Assessment were submitted in
2020, and following this the building was listed as a Grade II building by CADW
in June 2021. It was added that officers
had sought an update and current information for the application, but no
response had been received. In
the context of current housing figures, it was noted that the application could
be supported on the basis of the indicative supply level for Blaenau Ffestiniog
along with the acceptable mix of units that met the need locally. It was
explained that as this proposed development would not involve a greater
provision than the indicative housing provision determined for the settlement,
a Welsh Language Statement was not required. However, a statement was submitted
with the application and a Language Impact Assessment submitted later on. The
Policy stated that a statement was required for a development of five or more
units, unless it addressed evidence of need and demand for housing. At the time
concern was expressed about the type of units, the mix and the linguistic
impact but due to the time that had now elapsed, there was no up-to-date
information to assess the proposal against the requirements of policy PS1, and
therefore it could not be confirmed whether the intention would comply with the
policy or the SPG. In
the context of Policy TAI 15 which outlined the requirements for the provision
of affordable housing to be at least 10% of the proposal, a minimum of one unit
would be required to be affordable. The application was originally accompanied
by a Financial Viability Assessment, along with a later amended version
justifying the lack of affordable unit provision. However, due to the time that
had elapsed since the previous assessments the proposal could not be accurately
assessed against the requirements of the TAI 15 policy as the information was
no longer current nor had it considered the listed status of the building. An update to Chapter 6 of Planning Policy Wales (PPW), which dealt with green infrastructure and the net benefit to biodiversity and required all planning applications to submit a Green Infrastructure Statement, was highlighted. It was noted that no such Statement had been submitted as part ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |