Agenda item

Residential development comprising of 6 two storey and one single storey affordable dwellings, associated works and creation of additional car parking (amended plans). 

 

LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Dafydd Meurig

 

Link to relevant background documents

DECISION: To delegate powers to the Senior Planning Manager to approve the application, subject to the following conditions:

1.    Five years.

2.    In accordance with the plans.

3.    Details of the solar panels.

4.    Landscaping plan.

5.    Natural slate.

6.    Development to be undertaken in accordance with the biodiversity mitigation measures.

7.    Working hours limited to 8:00-18:00 during the week; 08:00 - 12:00 on Saturdays and not at all on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

8.    Restrict noise levels.

9.    Submit a Construction Method Statement.

10.  Welsh Water condition to submit a Method Statement and Risk Assessment regarding the main sewer that crosses the site.

11.  Ensure a plan/arrangements for providing the affordable housing.

12.  Remove permitted development rights from the affordable dwellings.

13.  Ensure a Welsh name for the houses and the estate.

 

NOTE: Inform the applicant of the need to submit a sustainable drainage strategy plan for approval by the Council's Water and Environment Unit.

NOTE: Inform the applicant of the need to sign an agreement under Section 38 of the Highways Act.

 

Residential development including 6 two-storey houses and one single-storey affordable house, associated works and creation of additional parking spaces (amended plans)

 

Attention was drawn to the late observations form.

 

a)    The Development Control Officer highlighted that this was a full application to erect six two-storey  houses and one single-storey affordable house along with associated works on the western periphery of Stad Bro Infryn in Glasinfryn on a plot of green land. The application was split into several different elements, which included:

·         Provision of affordable units on the form of: One two-storey 2 bedroom house (3 persons), four two-storey 2 bedroom houses (4 persons), two two-storey 3 bedroom houses (5 persons) and a single-storey 2 bedroom house (3 persons).

·         The 2 bedroom houses would be for intermediate rent and the remainder of the houses for social rent.

·         Provision of infrastructure to include parking spaces, footpaths, turning space, redirecting BT cable and redirecting the public sewer.

·         Erection of various fences around the site boundary and between the houses.

·         Site bin stores in the gardens of the houses.

·         Landscaping work.

 

It was explained that discussions had been held between the applicant, the previous local councillor, Cllr. Menna Baines, as well as several estate residents.  As a result, the application was amended to provide additional parking spaces in the form of laybys on the northern and southern sides of the lawned area which is located at the centre of the estate.

 

It was considered that the principle of the proposal was acceptable based on the indicative housing supply, housing mix and the need to meet and address the need for these types of houses in the local area.   It was noted that planning considerations such as visual residential amenities, road safety, biodiversity and language matters were acceptable. The proposal was not considered to be contrary to local or national policies and there was no material planning matter that outweighed the policy considerations.  To this end, it was considered that this proposal was acceptable subject to the inclusion of the conditions.

 

b)    Taking advantage of the right to speak, the applicant noted the following observations:

·         The application was submitted by Adra (Local Housing Association) to construct six two-storey houses and one bungalow - all the units were affordable houses and included a mix of intermediate rented housing and social rented housing.

·         Pre-application discussions had been held with the planning department to discuss the principle of the proposal and to receive feedback on material planning matters. 

·         Following the submission of the application and during the application's determination period, there were additional discussions with the local councillor and some of the local residents to discuss some of their concerns having seen the application details. 

·         One of the concerns raised was parking and the pressure in the area for parking spaces.  As a result of these discussions, amendments were introduced to the plans to provide additional parking spaces on the boundary of the nearby green space, as agreed with the Local Member and the residents.  

·         The residents wanted to ensure that a footpath was available to provide access to the rear of houses 1 - 4 Bron Infryn - a path had by now been provided as part of the proposed plans. 

·         Changes had also been made to the bungalow's design to ensure that it was suitable and addressed the needs of a specific family that would occupy it. There had been discussions between Adra and the Occupational Therapist in Derwen to ensure that the design was suitable.

·         The need for affordable housing locally had been confirmed in the Housing Needs Survey Report by the Rural Housing Facilitator. The Council's Strategic Housing Unit agreed that the application addressed the need for housing in the area and the plan had been included within a programme to receive a Social Housing Grant from the Welsh Government.

·         The officer's report confirmed that the principle of the proposal was acceptable and all other material planning matters were acceptable together with the conditions proposed to the applicant.

·         The proposal was provided affordable housing required to address the local need.

 

c)    Taking advantage of the right to speak, the Local Member made the following points:

·    It was Councillor Menna Baines who had been part of the discussion regarding the improvements to the application before the new ward boundaries came into effect in May 2022.

·           Although there were two opinions locally regarding the proposal, the plan would be a tidy extension to the existing estate.

·           That the units were affordable and responded to local need

 

ch) The approval of the application was proposed and seconded 

 

d)    In response to a question regarding the closeness of the estate, whose language was Welsh, to a cluster of indicative houses in Bangor, and the impact that this could have on the estate, the Assistant Head referred to the observations of the Language Unit.  It was noted although there was no need for a Welsh Language Statement with the application as there was enough supply in Gwynedd cluster villages for additional housing, a language statement had been submitted that concluded that should the proposal be approved it would have an element of positive impact on the Welsh language bearing in mind the local housing market.   The proposal would provide seven affordable houses to address current and future local need and it was considered that the majority of prospective occupants would be local, and to this end, the proposal would have a neutral impact on the number of Welsh speakers in Glasinfryn.

 

RESOLVED: To delegate powers to the Senior Planning Manager to approve the application, subject to the following conditions:

1.         Five years.

2.         In accordance with the plans.

3.         Details of the solar panels.

4.         Landscaping plan.

5.         Natural slate.

6.         Development to be undertaken in accordance with the biodiversity mitigation measures.

7.         Working hours limited to 8:00 - 18:00 during the week; 08:00 - 12:00 on Saturdays and not at all on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

8.         Restrict noise levels.

9.         Submit a Construction Method Statement.

10.       Welsh Water condition to submit a Method Statement and Risk Assessment regarding the main sewer that crosses the site.

11.       Ensure a plan/arrangements for providing the affordable housing.

12.       Remove permitted development rights from the affordable dwellings.

13.       Ensure a Welsh name for the houses and the estate.

 

NOTE: Inform the applicant of the need to submit a sustainable drainage strategy plan for approval by the Council's Water and Environment Unit.

NOTE: Inform the applicant of the need to sign an agreement under Section 38 of the Highways Act.