Conversion of chapel into 7 residential
units including an affordable unit together with a new access and parking
spaces.
LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Elfed Williams
Link
to relevant background documents
Decision:
To defer the decision to hold further discussions with
the applicant to seek more information and evidence of the following:
1.
Confirmation that the
cemetery will be protected and how.
2.
Receive more land
drainage details and assurance that the culvert will not cause problems on the
site or locally.
3.
Confirmation of the need
for flats in Deiniolen and how many names are on the waiting list?
4.
How it is intended to
ensure that the development will be occupied by local people?
That the local member is part of
the discussions
Minutes:
Conversion of chapel to 7 residential units to
include an affordable unit together with a new access and parking spaces
Attention was drawn to
the late observations form.
a)
The Senior Development
Control Officer highlighted that this was a full application to convert the
redundant chapel and school-room into 7 residential flats on a site located
opposite the High Street in Deiniolen. It was noted that its use as a chapel/vestry
had ended in January 2013, and although it was not located within the Deiniolen Service Village development boundary, it had not
been designated for any particular use. The application was split into several
elements, which included:
·
Providing 4 two-bedroom
flats within the former chapel on two floors and provide 1 two-bedroom flat and
2 one-bedroom flats within the former vestry with the one-bedroom flat as an
affordable unit for rent.
·
Provide 9 parking spaces at
the front of the vestry.
·
A bin/recycling storage
would be provided opposite the parking spaces.
·
A new vehicular access
would be created (replacing the existing access) off the nearby class III
county highway (High Street).
·
A tree planting scheme
would be undertaken.
It was highlighted that a number of documents had been submitted to
support the application.
It was reported that the principle of providing
residential units on this particular site was based on Policies PCYFF 1, TAI 3,
TAI 15, PS 17 and ISA 2. It was explained
that Policy TAI 3 stated that in Service Villages, housing to meet the Plan's
strategy would be secured through housing designations along with suitable
windfall sites within the development boundary. However, as Deiniolen
had seen its expected growth level on windfall sites via units completed in the
period from 2011 to 2021 and completed the current land bank, there would be a
need for the applicant to demonstrate that the proposal would address the needs
of the local community. To this end, the applicant had submitted relevant
information and, as a result, the local need could be justified for the types
of residential units proposed in this current application.
It was explained that part 2 of criteria i - iii of Policy ISA 2 stated that there was a presumption
to resist the loss or change of use of an existing community facility unless:
i. a suitable replacement
facility could be provided by the developer either on or off site, and within
easy and convenient access by means other than the car, or
ii. it
could be demonstrated that the facility was inappropriate or surplus to
requirements, or
iii. in
relation to a commercially operated facility: there was evidence that the
current use had ceased to be financially viable, and that it could not reasonably
be expected to become financially viable; that any other suitable community use
could not be established and there was evidence of genuine attempts to market
the facility, which had been unsuccessful.
In response, it was reported that the applicant had
stated that the building had been on the market since January, 2013 and was
only sold in October, 2018 which indicated that there was not much interest
within the market for former places of worship.
It was added that no interest had been shown to continue with its use as
a place or worship and reference was made to another place of worship nearby,
namely Eglwys Crist, Llandinorwig.
It was considered that converting the building into
small, quality flats would make appropriate use of the site and the property
bearing in mind that it was situated in an area that was mainly residential. It
would also be an opportunity to improve and tidy-up the site in terms of visual
amenities and also a means to avoid any anti-social behaviour in this part of
the village.
In the context of visual amenities, the nature, scale
and central location of the site in the established built area was considered.
Should it be approved, it was considered that it would not have a detrimental
impact on the visual amenities of this part of the street-scape or on the
character and wider integrity of the Dinorwig
Landscape of Outstanding Historic Interest, and now its location within the
Wales Slate World Heritage Site.
In the context of affordable housing and housing mix matters, a Housing
Mix Statement had been submitted, which noted:
·
The 7 units would be for
intermediate rent with 1 one-bedroom unit as an affordable unit (in accordance
with Policy TAI15 requirements).
·
That prices for the one-
and two-bedroom units had been submitted by a local estate agent based on the
conditions of the local housing market together with comparing similar
evidence.
In line with the advice included in the relevant
SPG, the Council's Housing Options Team was contacted along with the Rural
Housing Facilitator. Information had been received noting that the need for
one- and two-bedroom units was high - 46 applications had been included in the
Council's Common Housing Register for one- and two-bedroom flats, 32
applications for a one-bedroom flat and 35 applications for a two-bedroom flat.
It was highlighted that the Gwynedd Local Housing Market Assessment (2018 to
2023) confirmed that there was a shortfall of 13% for one-bedroom units with a
shortfall of 11% for two-bedroom units in Gwynedd and it was estimated that the
need for small units (1 and 2 persons) together with larger units (5 persons)
would increase up to 2035. On the whole, the 2011 census indicated that the
number of private rented properties on the market had reduced and that the size
of families had also reduced, which suggested that the need for smaller units
would increase. Consequently, small
rental units as proposed in the application in question, would help to satisfy
this need.
The Council's Housing Options Team confirmed that
there were 54 applications for two-bedroom social units in Deiniolen
with 38 interested in one-bedroom units and although 6 of the flats were open
market, their rental/sale price was equivalent to providing affordable units.
Therefore, it was considered that the application could be supported based on
the requirements of Policy TAI 8 and the relevant SPG and it could be ensured
that the affordable unit was affordable now and in the future by including a standard
planning condition.
Having considered that the proposal to provide 7
residential units including an affordable unit was a positive response to the
need for small residential units in Deiniolen, the
proposal was acceptable subject to including the conditions listed in the
report along with one relating to the installation of opaque glazing.
b)
Taking advantage of the
right to speak, the applicant’s agent noted the following points:
·
They had purchased Capel Ebeneser in 2018 and had submitted a planning application
to the Council in December 2019.
·
That Capel Ebeneser was a striking and prominent building in a
residential area, it was convenient with a bus stop and facilities nearby.
·
That the building was
deteriorating from year to year and, unfortunately, attracted anti-social
behaviour and vandalism.
·
It was proposed to adapt
the building that was a gateway into the village, into five two-bedroom units
and two one-bedroom units, which would be affordable for prospective local
people.
·
It was proposed to make the
chapel look attractive and maintain it to a high standard, by preserving the
original external appearance, in order to remember the historical roots of this
important building.
·
That the Gwynedd Local
Housing Market Assessment confirmed that there was a shortfall of one- and
two-bedroom units in Gwynedd, and that the need for smaller units would
increase over the next few years.
·
That over 60% of Gwynedd's
population could not afford to purchase a house in the county.
·
That the prices of all
units would be affordable to ensure that local young people get the opportunity
to get onto the property ladder.
·
That Gwynedd Council's
Housing Action Plan 2021-2026/27 noted that "there was a need to ensure
that the people of Gwynedd have access to a suitable home of a high standard,
that is affordable and improves their quality of life."
·
That the Cabinet Member for
Housing and Property, Councillor Craig ab Iago had noted that the Housing
Action Plan of the Housing and Property Department had been established by the Council
to address the lack of suitable housing available for local people in Gwynedd.
·
That Councillor Craig ab
Iago noted "my main priority is to ensure that as a Council, we do
everything within our ability to offer homes for Gwynedd residents in our communities. We know that our young people are facing more
challenges than ever to find a suitable home locally and this is an unfair and
unjust situation".
·
The Committee was requested
to agree with the recommendation of the Planning Officer that converting Capel Ebeneser into residential units was a positive one.
c)
Taking advantage of the
right to speak, the Local Member made the following points:
·
Concern from local
residents as to who would occupy the flats - would homeless people from Noddfa Hostel get priority over local residents?
·
During his time as a local
Councillor (over 9 years), no local person had asked him about a flat -
therefore, how does the proposal respond to the local need?
·
How would the applicant
manage the situation?
·
That a meeting had been held
with the applicant in August and nearby residents had submitted concerns -
these observations had not been addressed at all.
·
That there were 9 parking
spaces for 7 flats - was this sufficient? No space on the high street to park.
·
What were the owners' plans
for the cemetery?
·
That bats had been seen
around the Chapel.
·
If the flats would be
inexpensive, what impact would this have on the value of nearby homes?
·
The desire of the community
was to seek a community facility / multi-purpose centre, but there was no
evidence of the efforts.
·
The linguistic element was
weak in terms of a Welsh name only - other flats had been erected locally and
no Welsh speakers lived in them.
·
Hostel Noddfa
had opened in Deiniolen in 1974 for vulnerable women
in Gwynedd, but it was now a hostel for the homeless and the local area had not
been informed of the change of use - would this happen to Capel Ebeneser - would the criteria change overnight?
·
As Councillors, would you
be willing to accept such flats in your own wards?
ch) It was proposed
and seconded to approve the application.
d) During the ensuing discussion, the following
observations were made by members:
·
That there was a need to
consider the Local Member’s comments especially as a lack of need for the flats
was noted.
·
If there was no need for
flats locally, the implications of this had to be considered.
·
The observations of the
Flood Risk Management Unit needed to be considered fairly - 'that
responsibility for maintaining the watercourse and the culvert within the site's
boundaries...lies with the owners'.
·
More information was needed
on access to the cemetery.
·
How would the applicant
ensure 'local use'?
·
The use would have to be of
benefit to Deiniolen residents.
·
The 'open market' flats
were raising concerns - these could be suitable for Airbnb use considering the
location.
dd) An
amendment was proposed and seconded to defer the decision in order to hold
further discussions with the applicant to obtain a better understanding of the
local need.
e)
In response to a question
and observation made by the Housing Strategic Unit that '74 applicants were on
the common housing and social housing register waiting list', it was confirmed
that these were figures for the whole of Gwynedd and not Deiniolen.
It was reiterated that 'social housing' meant 'rented housing'.
In response to the observation about flooding, the
Head of Legal Service noted that clear guidance on the matter had been
submitted by the relevant agency.
In response to a proposal to defer, the Assistant Head
of Department noted that information about 'the local need' had been included
in the report, but it was possible to request further information and evidence.
It was suggested that discussions were held with the Local Member present. It
was added that it would also be possible to enquire about confirmation on
cemetery matters, flooding matters and marketing methods to ensure local use.
RESOLVED:
To defer the decision in order to hold further discussions
with the applicant to seek more information and evidence of the following:
1. Confirmation
that the cemetery will be protected and how.
2. Receive more land drainage details and
assurance that the culvert will not cause problems on the site or locally.
3. Confirmation of the need for flats in Deiniolen and how many names are on the waiting list?
4. How it is intended to ensure that the
development will be occupied by local people?
That the local member is part of the discussions
Supporting documents: