Agenda item

Erection of Chapel of Rest

 

Local Member: Councillor Gareth Tudor Morris Jones

 

Link to relevant background documents

DECISION: To approve – conditions

 

1.     5 years

2.     In accordance with the plans and the green infrastructure plan and statement

3.     Agree on external finish

4.     Welsh Water condition

5.     Parking

6.     ⁠External appliances may not be installed in relation to the refrigerator without prior agreement with the Local Planning Authority.

 

Notes:

SUDS

Biodiversity supervision note

 

 

Construction of Chapel of Rest

 

Attention was drawn to the late observations form

 

a)      The Development Control Team Leader highlighted that this was an application that involved constructing a new building to be used as a Chapel of Rest. ⁠It was noted that the floor plan showed that there would be an office, cold store, toilet, loading and unloading area for vehicles and space for a Chapel of Rest within the building.

 

It was explained that the location of the proposal was in the middle of the village of Morfa Nefyn, located adjacent to the B4417 highway, approximately 50m away from the crossroads with the B4412. It was highlighted that there were no other buildings on this side of the road in this location (except for the funeral director's building and existing public toilets).

 

It was noted that the application was a re-submission of a proposal that was refused under reference C22/0568/42/LL and that the agent of the application had provided a statement in response to the refusal reasons for that application. Originally, it was unclear how the proposed building would operate with the existing building and no information was presented with the application regarding the exact current and proposed use of the existing workshop.

 

Further information had now been received, confirming that the applicant was one of three on the coroner/police list for dealing with emergency calls in the Pen Llŷn area. The new building would be used to store a hearse, providing a temperature-regulated area and room for the family/doctor to visit the deceased. 

 

It was explained that the existing building was not accessible as there was a staircase down to the part currently used as a temperature-regulated area and therefore a trolley could not be used in compliance with health and safety requirements. In addition, it was proposed to purchase a new hearse and it would not be possible to park this within the existing building as the new hearse was bigger, this meant that the hearse would have to be loaded outside in a location open to the public. The applicant confirmed that the business would work effectively by using both buildings and the proposal provided showed how the existing building would be used as well as how it would be used should the new building be approved.

 

It was also noted that a revised site plan had been submitted which extended the application site to improve access into the site, provide three additional parking spaces together with a turning area within the site and to keep the vehicular access doors into the building clear. ⁠A Green Infrastructure Plan and Statement proposing hedge planting and installing nesting and bat boxes on the proposed building had also been submitted.

 

It was highlighted that the application had been submitted to the Planning Committee at the request of the Local Member. ⁠The application was deferred at the Planning Committee on 28.11.2022 (at the request of the applicant) to try and solve highways matters and to present further information.

 

In the context of the principle of the development, it was reported that the site was located in open countryside, outside but abutting the development boundary of the village of Morfa Nefyn. It was considered that there was sufficient justification and rationale to construct a business building as an extension of the existing business in the open countryside and the proposal complied with the requirements of policy PCYFF 1 and criterion 2 of policy PS 5.

 

In the context of highways matters, it was previously noted that the parking spaces had been set in front of the access doors to the loading/unloading space, and it was unclear what the arrangement would be should the doors need to be used when the parking spaces were in use. ⁠It was noted that a revised site plan had been submitted that provided three additional parking spaces together with a turning area, leaving the area in front of the vehicle loading doors empty.

 

⁠Further observations were proposed by the Transportation Unit that confirmed that there were no objections to the proposal by now, based on the revised site plan (rev E), together with setting a condition to ensure that parking spaces were provided before using the building.

 

Following receipt of additional revised plans and information relating to the existing building and how both buildings would be used in the future, as well as a site plan with a revised parking arrangement and biodiversity mitigation and enhancement measures, it was considered that the proposal was acceptable and complied with the requirements of the relevant policies. The Planning Authority recommended approving the application with conditions.

 

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

·           That the existing building was unsuitable for providing a modern service

·           That this was an application to extend the existing building

·           The service was necessary and there was no other suitable site for the company in the village - it was not a business that could be run in a street or an industrial site

·           That the existing site was ideal

·           ⁠That the company and Council officers had collaborated well to ensure that each party was satisfied with the application

 

c)    ⁠The Local Member declared an interest and stepped back from the discussion. He highlighted that the application was contentious locally and therefore required the Committee's decision.

 

ch) It was proposed and seconded to approve the application, noting that such a service was desperately needed.

 

RESOLVED: To approve – conditions

 

1.            5 years

2.            In accordance with the plans and the green infrastructure plan and statement

3.            Agree on external finish

4.            Welsh Water Condition

5.            Parking

6.            ⁠External appliances may not be installed in relation to the temperature-regulated area without prior agreement with the Local Planning Authority.

 

Notes:

SUDS

Biodiversity supervision note