Agenda item

Appearance and design of the dwellings to include materials, scale of dwellings and landscaping matters to include amended layout providing 14 dwellings rather than 15, to accommodate SUDS requirements.

LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Elin Hywel

Link to relevant background documents

 

DECISION: To approve subject to conditions -

 

1.    In accordance with the plans.

2.    Work to be undertaken in accordance with method statement included in appendix 4 of the Trees Impact Assessment.

3.    New trees to derive from local seed and planted in accordance with BS 8545:2014 requirements.

 

A note that condition 12 of the outline permission relating to drainage matters has been discharged as part of this permission.

 

SUDS note

 

Appearance and design of the dwellings to include materials, scale of dwellings and landscaping matters including an amended layout providing 14 dwellings rather than 15, to accommodate sustainable drainage system requirements

 

a)    The Planning Manager highlighted that this was a reserved matters application in relation to outline planning permission C18/1198/45/AM. It was noted that permission C18/1198/45/AM was to construct 15 houses (including 5 affordable dwellings) however, the application in question was to provide 14 houses in order to accommodate sustainable drainage system requirements.

 

The site, which has beenallocated for Housing in the LDP, is within the Pwllheli development boundary and within the Llŷn and Bardsey Island Landscape of Outstanding Historic Interest.  It was noted that a class 3 road bordered the site, that there were dwellings near the site and the Coleg Meirion Dwyfor site was opposite the site.

 

The application was submitted to the Committee as it involved five or more houses.

 

Members were reminded that the principle of the proposal has already been approved. It was reported that the current application has been submitted by Adra and proposed to provide 100% affordable units. Following the support of Gwynedd Council's Strategic Housing Unit, it was noted that Adra intended to submit the plan to the Welsh Government for social housing grant approval.

 

It was highlighted that the observations of the Strategic Housing Unit state that the proposal meets the need in the area and the plans contribute directly to the aim of Gwynedd Council's Housing Action Plan to provide more housing to meet with the current high demand that exists in the county. However, the application in question was to agree on the reserved matters only, and there was no intention to release the affordable homes condition as part of the application before the Committee. The affordable housing matters would be considered in a separate request to release or amend a condition.

 

In the context of general and residential amenities, it was accepted that the development of the site would be a change to some nearby residents and the development would generate more traffic. However, it was noted that the land had been earmarked for a greater number of houses in the LDP than the number approved in the outline application.  It was added that inconvenience during the construction work was something that arose with any building work and there was a condition in the outline permission limiting the hours of construction work. It was not considered that developing this site would have a substantial detrimental impact on the amenities of the local neighbourhood and the proposal was acceptable in terms of Policy PCYFF 2 of the LDP.

 

It was considered that the reserved matters on outline permission C18/1198/45/AM  were acceptable and in accordance with the relevant planning policies.

 

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

·         The agent thanked the Committee for the opportunity to address them regarding the application for reserved matters in relation to the outline permission approved in 2019.  

·         That the site was formerly in the ownership of the Grŵp Llandrillo Menai College,, however, it had now been sold to Adra Housing Association. 

·         The site had been earmarked for residential development in the LDP and outline permission was approved for 15 houses, with five affordable dwellings. 

·         The principle of a housing development on the site had been previously approved and the application before them included a detailed design, appearance of the houses, their scale and a landscape plan.

·         The access and layout of the development had already been approved as part of the outline application - there was no change in terms of the access to the site – this remained exactly as the one that was previously approved. 

·         The layout of the site reflects the layout that was previously approved, however, since the outline application, the proposal has had to comply with the requirements of sustainable drainage systems.  In response to the requirements the number of houses to be developed had to be reduced from 15 to 14.  (Plot 14 would now be used as a space on the site to provide a surface water infiltration pool. Welsh Water and YGC Water and Environment Department were satisfied with the drainage information submitted with the application). 

·         Other minor alterations had been made to the layout of the site following providing a detailed design for the houses, such as removing some trees and planting additional trees to replace them.  

·         Officers were satisfied in terms of the design and appearance of the houses and noted that their size satisfied the Welsh Government's size requirements; that a good mix of housing was provided - a mix of two, three and four bed houses and bungalows.

·         The scale and appearance of the units were suitable for the site.

·         In terms of what was proposed by Adra, all the units would be affordable

·         The Council's Strategic Housing Unit supported the mixture of these types of proposed units.

·         Further details regarding the affordable units would be submitted in due course as a separate application to deal with condition 19 of the outline consent.

 

c)    It was proposed and seconded to approve the application

 

ch) During the ensuing discussion, the following observations were made by Members:

·         Supportive of a 100% affordable housing plan

·         Local people were concerned that the houses would home people currently living in hotels in the town

·         Some of the bungalows were for the elderly - need to safeguard their safety bearing in mind the site was on a steep hill

·         The need to consider the suitability of the road to receive more traffic

 

d)    In response to a question regarding conducting a more recent assessment of local need, the Planning Manager noted that the application under discussion was a reserved matters application and the outline application had been approved. She added that the relevant information had been submitted by Tai Teg and the Common Housing Waiting List, and a detailed condition would ensure that the type of housing and the 'need' would be addressed.  In response to an additional question regarding Adra, who were now responsible for the development, the Assistant Head of Planning and Environment noted, although he accepted the observations, that the principle had already been accepted, and that Adra had already highlighted the proposal to provide 100% affordable housing to satisfy local need.

 

In response to a question regarding imposing a condition to ensure that a local need assessment was completed, the Monitoring Officer noted that the principle of the density and the affordable housing principle had been accepted and that only reserved matters could be discussed. He emphasised that it was not possible to re-open the discussion on a permission that had already been approved or to set a condition on details.   In response, a comment was made that a detailed assessment was required in the future.

 

The Planning Manager noted that initial discussions had been conducted with the Housing Association and matters such as addressing the local need were being discussed. 

 

RESOLVED: To approve subject to conditions -

 

1.   In accordance with plans.

2.   Work to be undertaken in accordance with method statement included in appendix 4 of the Trees Impact Assessment.

3.   New trees to derive from local seed and planted in accordance with BS 8545:2014 requirements.

 

A note that condition 12 of the outline permission relating to drainage matters has been discharged as part of this permission.

 

SUDS note