Demolition of existing dwelling
and erection of 12 bedroom hotel (3 storeys) with parking area, sewerage
treatment plant and alterations to the existing access, the existing summer house
and gatehouse would be used as ancillary buildings to the proposed hotel.
LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Peter
Garlick
Minutes:
Demolition of existing
dwelling and erection of 12 bedroom hotel (three storeys) with parking spaces,
sewage treatment tank and alterations to existing access, the existing Summer
House and Gatehouse to be used as ancillary buildings to the proposed hotel.
(a)
The
Planning Manager elaborated on the background to the application and noted that
the application had been deferred at the Committee meeting held on 11 February
2019 in order to receive further information concerning flooding and
accessibility to the site, together with matters relating to:
·
Shoreline Management
Plan.
·
Ownership of the wall
between the coast and the class III public highway (Ffordd
yr Aber).
·
The
response of the Fire Service to the observations of Natural Resources Wales
regarding flood risk along the road serving the site.
·
Similarity between this
application and an application to construct new housing in Felinheli.
·
Carbon
footprint implications of the development.
Attention was drawn to the additional observations that had
been received.
It was noted that the
proposal was acceptable in principle as the application complied with current
policies and planning guidance that supported the principle of situating new,
high quality holiday accommodation in the countryside by using a suitable
previously developed site, which was accessible to different types of
transport.
Reference was made to
members' concern at the previous meeting that related to flooding matters. It
was confirmed that the site was not within any flood zones and that the
principle of developing the site for use as a hotel was acceptable. In terms of
access matters, it was noted that the site of the application and the road in
front of the site were clear of any C2 flooding concerns. It was confirmed, as
requested, that emergency services were consulted and in response to the Committee's
concerns, a detailed e-mail had been sent to the emergency services (rather
than a standard enquiry) to explain and express the Committee's concerns. It
was reported that a response had been received from the Fire Service stating
that it was satisfied with the situation.
It was noted that the
Flooding Unit had confirmed that when parts of the road serving the application
site was subject to tidal floods, that the water tended to be very shallow and
that the road was accessible on foot and by car if care was taken. It was
explained that the road was occasionally closed to ensure safety and also to
clear seaweed, gravel etc. from the road, and for a short time the road would
be closed if necessary. It was noted that, should an exceptional incident occur
when the road flooded, the hotel and the people inside would be safe and that
there would be no risk to the site or the building and that the only thing that
could be prevented was access along the road. It was elaborated that flooding
of this type was quite easily predicted and timed, and therefore, it was
possible to forewarn staff and guests. It was considered that the situation
could be managed in an acceptable manner without placing an additional burden
on the emergency services.
It was noted, in relation
to the content of Technical Advice Note (Wales) 15: Development and Flood Risk
and the response of the Fire Service to the proposal that it was not believed
that the proposal would exacerbate the current flooding situation for potential
site users or for users of nearby property.
It was explained that
this part of the coast (opposite the application site) was not within the
Coastal Change Management Area (CCMA) and consequently, it had not been
identified as an area that would be affected by loss of land or as a result of
coastal erosion impacts. It was noted, as a result, that the requirements of
Policy ARNA1 of the Local Development Plan (LDP) were irrelevant in relation to
this application.
With regards to the
ownership of the wall between the coast and the class III county road (Ffordd yr Aber), the
Transportation Unit had confirmed that the sea wall is in the ownership of
various Council departments, including Transportation, Leisure and Economy. It
was explained that the Transportation Unit maintained the wall on behalf of the
departments. It was noted that Gwynedd Consultancy carry out maintenance work
as required.
It was noted, having
considered the assessment of the application and all comments received from
members of the public and statutory consultees, along with the previous appeal
decision, that the development was acceptable and was not a flood risk. The
proposal complied with Technical Advice Note 15 as it was possible to manage
the risk in an acceptable way.
(b) The local member (not a
member of this Planning Committee) noted the following main points:
·
That
the extensive report by Natural Resources Wales explained the current flooding
situation, residents were concerned about what could happen in future in
relation to flooding and the wall;
·
Would
there be any maintenance work to the wall in the near future?
·
That
a dwelling had been on the site since the eighties, the proposal would change
the landscape of the area of beauty.
(c)
It was proposed and seconded to
approve the application.
During the ensuing discussion, the
following main observations were noted by members:
·
That
Policy TWR 2 of the LDP recognised the need for serviced holiday accommodation,
how could a surplus of accommodation be proved and where could statistics be
sought to show need? There were many hotels in the area as well as
accommodation such as Air BnB;
·
Part
of the coast would be spoilt if such a building were approved;
·
That
only at times of extreme storms would the road to the site be flooded by the
tide;
·
Concern
about the impact a building of this size would have on the area of beauty;
·
Concern
about traffic, there was enough traffic on the road leading to the site as it
was;
·
It
appeared from the plans that there would be 14 parking spaces on the site,
would the provision be sufficient for guests and staff? Concern that cars would
be parked on the road leading to the site;
·
Concern
about motor homes parking on the road to the site causing access problems for
Fire Service vehicles;
·
Concern
about the number of cars that would park on the road to the site, considering
the proximity of the Golf Club;
·
Were
there any parking restrictions on the road leading to the site?
·
There
were odours emanating from the sewage works in the area as it was, the matter
required consideration;
·
The
appeal on the previous application on the site had confirmed that the building
would be acceptable within the landscape;
·
With
regard to flooding matters, the Fire Service did not object to the proposal and
it was confirmed that it would be possible to evacuate the site. Satisfied with
the responses to the concerns raised by members during the Committee meeting of
11 February 2019 and agreed with the recommendation;
·
The
development would benefit the Golf Club and the local economy;
·
The
proposal complied with the Tourism Strategy with the demand for hotels greater
than for Air BnB accommodation.
(ch) In response to the above observations, the
officers noted that:
·
The on-site parking provision met the parking standards, and perhaps it
was unclear from the plans that there were parking spaces along the side of the
building as well;
·
If vehicles prevented the flow of traffic along the road to the site, it
would be for the Police and the Council to deal with the situation as it arose;
·
Vehicular parking was restricted along the road by Aber Bridge;
·
As regards the sewage odours, part of the application entailed the
installation of a septic tank. Any concerns should be reported to the relevant
bodies, the odours were not connected to the proposal.
RESOLVED to approve the application.
Conditions:
1.
Five years.
2. In accordance with the plans.
3.
Samples
of external materials to be submitted and confirmed by the LPA prior to the
commencement of any work on the site.
4.
The
hotel shall not be used until the access and parking areas have been completed.
5.
Agree
on a drinking water and surface water drainage scheme prior to the commencement
of any work on the site.
6.
Before any work is commenced details regarding the
timing and provision of a bat roost should be submitted.
7.
No demolition work between 15 April to 1 October
with a licensed worker present during the demolition work and slates to be
taken off the roof manually.
8.
No demolition work between 1 April
to 31 August unless it can be demonstrated that no birds are nesting in
the existing building.
9.
Compliance with the tree report and the landscape
scheme.
10.
Restrict
the use to holiday use only.
11.
Highways conditions
12.
Agree on a lighting scheme.
13.
Bilingual
signage and welcome packs / information.
14.
Septic
tank and the connected soakaway to comply with British Standards.
15.
Submit
a Shoreline Management Plan, e.g. to include: information packs, system to
forewarn guests and staff, install flood risk notices/signs within the site.
Supporting documents: