Agenda item

Erection of building for Use Classes B1/B2,/B8 (with Trade Counter in any B8 units) and a building for use as a Builders' Merchant (storage, distribution, trade counter, offices and ancillary retail) with associated external storage, display area, access, parking, lighting, fencing, hard and soft landscaping.

 

LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Dafydd Meurig

 

Link to relevant background documents

DECISION: To delegate powers to the Senior Planning Officer to approve the application subject to completing discussions regarding highways and archaeology matters as well as material planning conditions relating to:

 

1.    Time

2.    Compliance with the plans

3.    The development shall be implemented in accordance with the recommendations in the ecological report / landscaping plan

4.    Archaeology conditions

5.    Permitted use of units 1 - 6 (Building 1) for any purpose within Use Class B1, B2 or B8

6.    Ensure Welsh / Bilingual signs

7.    Opening Hours: 06:30 to 18:00 Monday to Friday, 06:30 to 17:00 Saturday and 08:00 to 16:00 Sunday / Bank Holidays

 

Notes

1.              Welsh Water

2.              Land Drainage Unit

3.              Network Rail

 

Erection of a building for Use Classes B1/B2/B8 (with a Trade Counter in any B8 unit) and a building to be used as a Builders’ Merchant (storage, distribution, trade counter, offices and ancillary retail), with an associated external storage area, showroom area, access, parking, lighting, fences, hard and soft landscaping.

 

a)    The Planning Manager highlighted that this was an application for full planning permission to erect two buildings on one of the vacant plots within Bryn Cegin Business Park, Llandygai. One of the buildings (Building 1) would be split into six units, with the intention of obtaining flexible consent to allow for uses within Use Classes B1 (Business), B2 (General Industrial) or B8 (Storage or Distribution Services) within the units. The second building (Building 2) would be for use by a builders' merchant business (Unique Use).

It was explained that Parc Bryn Cegin was protected as a Strategic Regional Business Site for businesses in Use Classes B1, B2 and B8 by policy CYF 1 in the LDP  - the proposal for Building 1 was consistent with this policy and the use of Building 2 as a builders' merchant was a unique use as it did not fall under any specific use class.   Policy CYF 3 encouraged protecting specified business sites for the use earmarked unless there were exceptional circumstances for alternative use. The policy set out four criteria to assess such proposals:

·         that there was overwhelming justification for the development

·         that the scale of the plan mainly corresponded with the workforce needs on the employment site

·         that the proposed development would not undermine the function of the employment site

·         that the development would not lead to an under-provision of B1employment use land.

 

Having considered the importance of the scheme in securing the development of a business on a strategically important site which had been empty for many years, it was considered that there was exceptional justification to grant the proposed development on the designated employment site in accordance with Policy CYF 3 of the LDP.

 

In terms of archaeological matters, it was noted that the Bryn Cegin site had been the subject of extensive archaeological excavation which had been identified as a location of historic importance, with evidence dating from the Iron Age, and of the relationship with the Roman Occupation. For practical reasons, not all parts of the site with archaeological potential had been excavated during the previous work and reference was made to a strip of land on the periphery of the site which had potential for important archaeological material. The Gwynedd Archaeological Planning Service (GAPS) had suggested that a planning condition was needed to ensure that appropriate investigation work was carried out before this land was affected by development.

In the context of infrastructure and sustainability matters it was noted that Bryn Cegin had been earmarked as a sustainable location for business and had been developed with the plots served by appropriate utilities for the expected businesses. Natural Resources Wales did not have any objection to the development and Welsh Water had confirmed that there was adequate capacity in the local sewerage system to meet the requirements of the development and that a connection to the water supply could be ensured. Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) would be required to control surface water for every new development and an application would need to be submitted to the SuDS Approval Body for approval before the construction work commenced.

Reference was made to the Planning Statement submitted with the application along with an Energy and Sustainability Statement which identified steps to reduce the development's carbon footprint. It was noted that additional information was expected in relation to ensuring that the flow of water from the new inner road would not affect the existing roads network but, from receiving that information, and from following the statutory requirements regarding sustainable drainage, it was believed that this development would comply with the requirements of policies PCYFF 5, PS 5 and PS 6 which ensured that new developments would not have a harmful impact on the broader environment and that they would be robust against likely environmental changes in the future.

It was not considered that the proposal was contrary to any material planning policy within the LDP and that the proposed development was appropriate for the site and was likely to be of strategic importance to the county as a starting point for business developments on the site. It was not considered that the proposal was likely to cause any unacceptable detrimental impact to nearby residents or the community in general.

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

·         That the officers' report was very thorough and led to a recommendation to approve the application

·         That the site was a Strategic Business / Employment Site and that it had not yet provided any jobs.

·         An application for a builders' merchants had been approved recently and there was no reason to believe that the development would not proceed. By combining that application with this application for smaller units and a builders' merchants, around 80 new jobs could be created within the next 18 months. It was hoped that these developments would act as a catalyst and that other developments would follow soon.

·         That the application had been submitted in two parts. One was a builders' merchant and the operator had been confirmed. All staff would be recruited locally, regardless of the job in question. The other units would be speculative and no occupants had been secured so far. They would be constructed as shells ready to be adapted to any future occupant - they were likely to appeal to existing local businesses looking to expand.

·         The only matters raised during the application process were archaeological and run-off water matters. It was hoped that the proposed archaeology condition would be accepted and that the development would be able to continue while the archaeological work was being carried out in the important locations.

·         The officer's report noted that the Transportation Unit had no objection to the plan in relation to its impact on transport despite the request for more information about water drainage. There had been a response to the request and it had been demonstrated that water would not drain into the road. In response to SuDS approval - the process was ongoing.

·         The officers' thorough report noted, 'As a result of the above assessment, it is not considered that the proposal is contrary to any material planning policy within the LDP and the proposed development is appropriate for the site and is likely to be of strategic importance to the county as a starting point for business developments on the site. Consideration was given to all material issues and it is not believed that the proposal is likely to cause any unacceptable detrimental impact to nearby residents or the community in general'.

·         The Committee was therefore requested to accept the recommendation

 

c)    The Local Member, Councillor Dafydd Meurig, had sent his apologies for missing the meeting, however he had noted in an e-mail that he had no objection to the application and had not received any observations from electors.

ch) It was proposed and seconded to approve the application.

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

·         Welcomed smaller units for smaller businesses

·         Welcomed seeing Bryn Cegin being developed after being empty for an extended period.

 

RESOLVED: To delegate powers to the Senior Planning Officer to approve the application subject to completing discussions regarding highways and archaeology matters as well as material planning conditions relating to:

 

1.         Time

2.         Compliance with the plans

3.         The development shall be implemented in accordance with the recommendations in the  ecological report / landscaping plan

4.         Archaeology conditions

5.         Permitted use of units 1 - 6 (Building 1) for any purpose within Use Class B1, B2 or B8

6.         Ensure Welsh / Bilingual signs

7.         Opening Hours: 06:30 to 18:00 Monday to Friday, 06:30 to 17:00 Saturday and 08:00 to 16:00 Sunday / Bank Holidays

 

Notes

1.         Welsh Water

2.         Land Drainage Unit

3.         Network Rail