Demolish existing house and construct a new house in it's place.
LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Dewi Wyn Roberts
Minutes:
Demolition of existing dwelling and construct a
new house in its place.
(a) The Senior Development Control Officer elaborated
on the background of the application and noted that the proposed house
comprised a garden store, entrance, three bedrooms and a bathroom on the ground
floor, with living space and a kitchen/diner with a front and side terrace on
the first floor. There was a parking space in a 'pull in' form to the front of
the property. Following discussing the
proposal with the applicant an amended plan was received showing the roof
covered with natural slate together with a swept path analysis. The site was located within a residential
area and was within the Abersoch development boundary, however, part of the
garden/curtilage lies outside the boundary. The site was also located within an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Reference
was made to the relevant policies and the responses to the public consultations
within the report.
A
notice was posted on site and nearby residents were notified and correspondence
was received objecting to the proposal which had been noted in the report.
Attention
was drawn to the main relevant planning considerations namely:
1.
That
the principle of the development complied with the criteria for demolishing and
re-building a house.
2.
Visual
amenities - the design of the proposed house was modern with substantial windows
and a terrace on the first floor and a pitched roof covered with natural slate
that reduced concerns regarding the modern design of the house. However, although the site was situated
within the AONB, it was also a site where a house currently stood near existing
residential housing. Attention was drawn to the amended design, although
modern, it was of a scale and of materials that would be in keeping with the
site. It was intended to excavate the site to create a two-storey house of
approximately the same height as the existing single-storey house. Although it did not follow the pattern of
houses in the vicinity, it was believed that the amended design was in keeping
and enhanced the local area compared to the existing building. The AONB Unit had submitted concerns
regarding the design of the new house, however, it was deemed that amending the
design of the new house was likely to reduce these concerns. It was therefore considered that the
proposal as amended was suitable for its location and its context, and would
not have a detrimental impact on the AONB.
3.
General
and residential amenities - Three letters of objection were received on the
grounds of design, impact on the AONB, impact of the proposal on the site
boundary, impact on the neighbour's foul water drain and road safety. Although the house was larger than the
existing it had been designed so that the windows and openings look over the
county road and agricultural land. In terms of traffic and noise generated by
the proposal, it was considered that the proposed house would not significantly
add to the current situation or cause harm to the local neighbourhood. It was noted that the applicant acknowledged
a need to safeguard the neighbour's foul water drain during construction work
and to discuss the matter with Welsh Water should the application be
approved. It was considered that the
proposal would not cause significant harm to the amenities of the local
community.
4.
Transportation
and access matters - Access to the site was gained directly from the county
road where parking in a 'pull in' form was located. Following a request from the Transportation
Unit for more information on parking and turning arrangements within the
curtilage further information had been received that was acceptable and an
improvement on the existing arrangement.
Having
assessed all relevant planning considerations together with relevant local and
national planning policies and guidelines as well as the observations received,
it was considered that the proposal was acceptable and it was recommended to
approve the application subject to relevant conditions.
(b) It was proposed and seconded to approve the
application.
(c)
During
the ensuing discussion the following points were highlighted by individual
Members:
·
That the Planning Committee
had a duty to give consideration to the comments of the AONB Officer as such
developments could have a cumulative impact on the appearance of the AONB and
one Member felt that he could not support the application for this reason
·
that the Community Council
objected to the application
·
would the proposed house be
within reach of local people
·
it appeared that a great deal
of applications came before the Planning Committee to demolish houses and
rebuild them in Abersoch, and it was asked if it was possible to consider
supplementary guidance and/or to consider the policy when there was a
review
(ch) In response to the above
observations, the Senior Planning Service Manager explained
·
that the application in
question was an open market house that would be replaced by a new open market
house and that affordable housing was not relevant in this context
·
that the policies were current
and legal and the policy could not be modified to restrict the use of the new
house. Applications of this type could be monitored in the future in Gwynedd
and Anglesey
·
the proposed development was
within the development boundary and the principle of demolishing and erecting a
new house in its place was acceptable and conformed to the relevant policies
·
in the same manner the
Planning Committee had to give full consideration to the contents of the report
before them by professional officers who had given full consideration to the
comments regarding the AONB
In accordance with the
Procedural Rules, the following vote to approve the application was a
registered vote:
In favour of the
proposal to approve the application (5): Councillors Louise Hughes, Eric Jones, Dilwyn
Lloyd, Edgar Owen, Catrin Wager
Against the proposal to approve the application
(5): Councillors
Elwyn Edwards, Huw Gruffydd Wyn Jones, Eirwyn Williams, Gruffydd Williams,
Owain Williams
Abstention (1): Councillor Berwyn Parry Jones
On the casting vote of the Chair, the
application was refused on the grounds of the AONB setting and the cumulative
impact that such a development would have on the appearance of the AONB.
In response to the above, the Planning
Manager drew attention to the amended design in using a slate roof rather than
a zinc roof and this was material for the Committee when considering the
application. The Senior Planning Service
Manager further emphasised that it could not be refused in terms of principle
and that the main matter in question was the design of the proposed house. It was strongly suggested that the Committee
should visit the site prior to determining its refusal and as a result the
applicant could go to appeal and the Council may have to face costs.
An amendment was proposed and seconded
that the Planning Committee should visit the site.
Resolved: To ask the Senior
Planning Service Manager to arrange for the Planning Committee to visit the
site.
Supporting documents: