Erection of 7 dwellings (including 2 affordable dwellings) together with new accesses.
LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Sion Wyn Jones
Minutes:
Erection of seven
houses (including two affordable houses), along with new accesses.
Attention was
drawn to the additional observations that had been received.
(a)
The
Senior Development Control Officer elaborated on the application, noting that
this was an outline application to erect five detached houses and two
affordable semi-detached with a scheme to create new access from the adjacent
Class III county highway. It was
explained that matters such as landscaping and design
were reserved for consideration at another time. It was highlighted that the application site
was situated within the development boundary of the village of Bethel as
contained in the Joint Local Development Plan and the area had also been
designated for housing in the Gwynedd Mapping Document (reference T58).
Policy PCYFF1 states that proposals will
be approved within development boundaries in accordance with the other policies
and proposals in the Plan, national planning policies and other material
planning considerations. Policy TAI3
states that in Service Villages housing to meet the Plan's strategy will be
delivered through housing allocations along with windfall sites within the
development boundary. Policy TAI 8
states that all new residential development should contribute to improving the
balance of housing and meet the identified needs of the whole community.
It was added that
the site was situated on the western outskirts of the village. It was anticipated that materials similar to
those on the nearby dwellings would be used.
The site plan submitted with this application was based on the initial
discussions between the applicant and the Transportation Unit. The
Transportation Unit had no objection to this arrangement subject to the
inclusion of appropriate conditions.
In the context of infrastructure, it was highlighted that objections had
been received from the public regarding the suitability of the existing public
sewer system in the village to cope with more houses, especially when
improvements had not been carried out by Welsh Water to increase the system's
capacity to take more surface and foul water. The objectors elaborated by
stating that the application should be refused until an inspection and
improvements had been made to this system.
As part of the statutory consultation
process, it was reported that Welsh Water was consulted and a response was
received stating that if the Local Planning Authority intended to approve the
application that a condition preventing any surface water or/and run-off
drainage from connecting directly or indirectly with the public sewer should be
included. Whilst recognising the local residents' objections in regards to
existing problems with the public sewerage system to cope with more dwellings
in Bethel, Welsh Water's formal response to the planning application must be
considered, which stated that the proposal on the site was acceptable subject
to including appropriate conditions.
(b)
Taking
advantage of the right to speak, an objector to the application noted the
following main points:-
·
That
there were sewerage problems in Bethel and the system was faulty.
·
That
waste and sewerage came up onto the streets
·
There
had been a serious mess during the recent storm
·
That
the problems affected the amenities of village residents.
·
The
problem was historical - had been 'accepted' as a way of life
·
Welsh
Water had publicly announced in 2008 that there were problems in the village
·
Work
to restore some pipes had been undertaken however the whole system could not
cope
(c)
Taking
advantage of the right to speak, the applicant noted the following points:
·
The
application site was within the development boundary and suitable for a housing
development.
·
The
development provided a mixture of houses.
·
The
Strategic Department stated there was a need for housing in Bethel.
·
Bethel
had been identified as a service village.
·
The
capacity of the local school to admit more children.
·
The
homes were suitable to retain young families in the Welsh speaking area
·
Discussions
had taken place regarding the access.
·
Welsh
Water were satisfied with the application and that only one official complaint
had been made (from Bethel) to Welsh Water between January 2014 and the
present.
·
A
new hedgerow would be planted - the Biodiversity Department had responded
favourably.
(ch) Taking advantage of the right to speak, the
Local Member (not a member of this Planning Committee) made the following
points:-
·
That
he was working with village residents to address the need for housing on the
best sites within the village.
·
The
land of the site in question was unsuitable - sewerage problems that would
place more pressure on the existing system.
·
A
letter of objection highlighted the deficiencies of the water/sewerage system.
·
The
details of Welsh Water work in the village had not been discussed.
·
A
fake statement had been published and therefore more information was required
prior to determination.
(d)
In
response to the observations, the Senior Planning Service Manager noted that he
sympathised with local residents, and considering the specific application in
question he stated that Welsh Water, as a statutory consultee had noted that
there was sufficient capacity for the development. It was accepted that there were other faults
to the pipes and it was necessary to check general maintenance work in the
village, however, it was the impact of the development on capacity that was in
question.
(dd)
It
was proposed and seconded to defer the application in order to receive further
information from Welsh Water regarding the existing system bearing in mind the
flooding on 22/11/17.
(e) During the ensuing discussion, the following
points were highlighted by individual Members:
·
That
the views of Welsh Water were unclear, therefore a review of the current
situation was needed and a fuller response to the matter of 'sufficient
capacity'.
·
That
more recent information was required.
·
It
was necessary to consider the system's capacity in the context of recent
floods.
(f)
In response to the request
for further information from Welsh Water, the Monitoring Officer highlighted
that they should only consider the application and Welsh Water had given a
sufficient response to the development and it was not necessary to consider the
wider problems of the village.
(ff)
In response to an
observation, if the application was approved, accepting that there were
sewerage problems, it would be possible to impose a condition to improve the
system in Bethel and strengthen the community's case to improve the situation,
the Senior Planning Service Manager noted that it was not possible to do this
through the application, but it was possible to hold discussions with the Local
Member and the relevant Cabinet Member.
RESOLVED to defer the application
Supporting documents: