Agenda item

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

 

Link to relevant background documents

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.