Agenda item

Erection of 2 affordable dwellings, creation of new vehicular access, parking, landscaping, and associated works.

 

LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Dafydd Meurig

 

Link to relevant background documents

 

 

DECISION: To approve subject to a 106 agreement and conditions relating to the following:

1.    Commencement within five years

2.    Development to comply with the approved plans

3.    Use Welsh roof slates

4.    A condition to ensure acceptable visibility

5.    Removal of Permitted Development Rights to ensure affordability

6.    Welsh Water Condition

7.    The recommendations of the Preliminary Ecological Assessment must be observed

8.    The recommendations of the Flooding Risk Assessment must be observed

 

Note –         Welsh Water

                    Sustainable Drainage System

                    Transportation Unit's Observations

 

Erection of two affordable houses, creation of new access, parking, landscaping and associated works.

 

a)    The Senior Development Control Officer highlighted that this was a full application to construct two intermediate affordable houses near the village of Caerhun to the south-east of Bangor. Both single-storey houses would provide two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom and a hall along with parking spaces for two vehicles. One access from a nearby third-class county road would serve both houses.

 

There were no environmental or heritage statutory designations for this plot of land that was presently used for grazing land. However, Natural Resources Wales had noted that the vast area surrounding the site of the application was subject to land surface flooding.

 

Considering the principle of the development, it was noted that the site was located outside any defined development boundary included within the LDP. Policy PCYFF 1 ('Development Boundaries') stated that proposals outside development boundaries would be refused unless they were in accordance with specific policies in the Plan or national planning policies or that the proposal showed that its location in the countryside was essential. The proposal was located directly adjacent to the Caerhun cluster as defined in the LDP and through this, Policies TAI 6: Housing in clusters; TAI 15: Affordable Housing together with the Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG): Affordable Housing, were relevant. Policy TAI 6 stated that proposals for new housing units in such locations must conform to seven criteria.

 

It was explained that a Planning Statement had been presented with the application that noted the high demand for two-bedroom houses in the area of Caerhun / Glasinfryn (the figures of the Local Housing Market Assessment, Tai Teg and Strategic Housing Unit supported this statement). It was reinforced that the plan was suitable and met the recognised needs.

 

In the context of visual amenities, it was noted that the new houses would not appear alien in this place despite their location on open agricultural land, because the location would be directly adjacent to other residential houses. Therefore, they would not have a significant detrimental impact on the area's general landscape quality.

 

In the context of transportation and access, it was noted that existing trees could disrupt the visibility from the entrance. As a result, a condition was sought to ensure that it would not be permitted that any highway boundary wall, hedge or fence would be higher than 1 metre above the carriageway level of the adjacent county road from either end of the site's boundary to the highway, and any vegetation should be cleared to maintain visibility. By imposing such a condition, it was considered that the plan was acceptable under the requirements of Policy TRA 2 and TRA 4 in relation to parking standards and road safety.

 

In the context of flood matters, it was noted that the amended Flood Consequences Assessment (FCA) received described that the risk of flooding to the development site had been managed by getting rid of the management structure within the boundary wall to the west of the development. As a result, it was highlighted that the Council's Land Drainage Unit had agreed that risk of flooding to this proposed development site had been substantially reduced because of this improvement. However, it was considered that a residual flood risk remained (e.g., in the event of obstruction in the opening) and therefore it was recommended that there should be strict adherence to the design measures set out in section 4 of the FCA (original) - raising floor levels above 93.6m.

 

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

·         The proposal provided two affordable two-bedroom bungalows to local people.

·         There was a clear demand for affordable housing in the area and the Council's Housing Department had confirmed that around 50 people were looking for affordable two-bedroom bungalows in the Caerhun and Glasinfryn area.

·         Migration data by StatCymru showed that the outward migration of 15-29 year olds between 2012 and 2020 was higher than the inward migration of this age group. One potential reason for this was because of the lack of affordable housing in the area; people cannot fulfil their housing needs locally. The proposal would overturn this trend by contributing to this obvious local demand for housing.

·         Concerns were raised regarding the flooding risk on the site; however, the situation had been improved by getting rid of a structure that was attached to the boundary wall.

The Council's Drainage Unit had confirmed that the risk of flooding had substantially reduced as a result of this, and the applicant was happy to agree to the floor levels recommended as mitigation measures.

·         Highways had confirmed that they had no objection to the proposed development. In accordance with their recommendation, there would not be a structure or growth above 1 metre high erected along the site boundary to ensure clear visibility for vehicles leaving the site.

·         In terms of the impact on neighbours, the proposed houses would be single-storey in their nature with pitched roofs - they would be located centrally within their plots, and at an appropriate distance from nearby properties. The units would not lead to any effects of overlooking, overshadowing or a detrimental oppressive impact on neighbours' properties.

·         In relation to the concerns raised regarding the impact on the area's archaeology, the Gwynedd Archaeological Planning Service had been consulted and no observations were received on the proposal.

·         It was therefore considered that the proposal would make good use of a plot of land within a residential area and would provide two affordable houses to respond to the high demand for local housing in the area. The development would not create any detrimental flooding effects, any effects on the road network or nearby properties.

 

c)    Taking advantage of the right to speak, the Local Member made the following observations;

·         He welcomed two affordable houses.

·         The local objections had been referred to the local former member and himself since the boundaries had changed.

·         The response to concerns of a threat to nature, archaeological matters and impact on nearby amenities had been addressed in the report.

·         Transportation and flooding concerns remained evident - the Community Council had stated an objection to the application based on evidence that, historically, the land flooded.

·         Welcomed the fact that the boundary wall had been placed 2m away from the county road carriageway to allow for a plan to create a future footpath. The action would allow better visibility to the proposed access - a suggestion to impose a condition for a pavement.

·         The field 'looked wet' and therefore a need to ensure that the houses would not get water in them.

 

d)    It was proposed and seconded to approve the application and the conditions discussed.

 

e)    During the ensuing discussion, the following observations were made by members:

·         Pentir Community Council objected to the application based on flooding evidence - the Local Member outlined this.

·         The site was outside the development boundary.

·         Welcome the condition of using Welsh roofing slates.

 

In response to an observation regarding installing pavements, it was noted that this was not necessary as a condition as there was no pavement currently in Caerhun, and by looking at the location of nearby houses and gardens, as well as the narrow nature of the lane, it was very unlikely that it would be possible to install a pavement in the rest of the village. It was not considered that it would be reasonable to set a condition for this small development to provide a pavement in front of the site.

 

In response to observations on flooding, it was noted that the report addressed the concerns and in the context of using Welsh roofing slates, it was noted that the wording, because of loss of appeal in the past, should note 'slates similar to those from Wales.' Although it was a European rule, there was no change in terms of implementing the condition.

 

RESOLVED To approve the application subject to a 106 agreement and conditions relating to the following:

1.         Commencement within five years

2.         Development to comply with the approved plans

3.         Use Welsh roofing slates

4.         A condition to ensure acceptable visibility

5.         Removal of Permitted Development Rights to ensure affordability

6.         Welsh Water Condition

7.         The recommendations of the Preliminary Ecological Assessment must be observed

8.         The recommendations of the Flooding Risk Assessment must be observed

 

Note -              Welsh Water

                        Sustainable Drainage System

                        Transportation Unit's Observations