Agenda and minutes

To accept any apologies for absence.

Councillors Simon Glyn, Louise Hughes, Elin Walker Jones and Dilwyn Lloyd.

To receive any declaration of personal interest and to note protocol matters.

The following members declared that they were local members in relation to the items noted:

·        Councillor John Brynmor Hughes (not a member of this Planning Committee), in relation to item 5.3 on the agenda (planning application no. C19/0027/39/LL);

·        Councillor Annwen Daniels (not a member of this Planning Committee), in relation to item 5.4 on the agenda, (planning application number C19/0154/03/LL).

The Members withdrew to the other side of the Chamber during the discussion on the applications in question and did not vote on these matters.

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration.

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee, held on, 10 June 2019, be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this Committee, that took place on 10 June 2019, as a true record.

To submit the report of the Head of Environment Department.

The Committee considered the following applications for development.

Details of the applications were expanded upon and questions were answered in relation to the plans and policy aspects.

RESOLVED

Demolish existing outbuilding and construct a single storey extension to dwelling and conversion of outbuilding into 2 holiday units.

LOCAL MEMBER:    Councillor Simon Glyn

Link to relevant background documents

Demolish existing outbuilding and construct a single-storey extension to dwelling and conversion of outbuilding into two holiday units

(a)       The Planning Manager elaborated on the background of the application, noting that this application was deferred at the Committee meeting on 20 May 2019 in order to have an opportunity to consider the context of appeal number (C18/0023/42/LL), which was refused for reasons relating to an excess of second homes in the area. It was noted that as a result of the figures noted in the appeal decision, it was considered necessary to re-assess the application against the relevant figures.

It was noted that an application for the 'Demolition of outbuilding attached the house and erect a single-storey extension in its place', which formed part of the submitted application, had been approved on 28 June 2019.

It was reported that an appeal for a lack of decision had been registered with the Planning Inspectorate. It was explained that should the application be refused or deferred, the appeal would continue.

Attention was drawn to additional comments received, which included the observations of the Business Support Unit of the Economy and Community Department on the robustness of the business plan.

It was noted that Policy TWR 2 of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Joint Local Development Plan (JLDP) permitted proposals to convert existing buildings such as agricultural buildings into holiday accommodation as provided they complied with five criteria. Reference was made to criterion 'v', which required that 'The development does not lead to an excess of such accommodation in the area.'

It was revealed that the applicant, in accordance with the requirements of Policy TWR 2, had submitted a comprehensive business plan that included investment figures, costs and projected letting figures, and it was considered that its content was realistic and demonstrated the viability as holiday use. The Business Support Unit of the Economy and Community Department agreed with these findings, and were satisfied that it was a suitable business plan for the application.

It was noted that over-concentration had been assessed in the context of the Supplementary Planning Guidance: Holiday Accommodation and the appeal decision on Tŷ’n Pwll, Nefyn It was revealed that the assessment had confirmed that 14% of the domestic units in the area of Tudweiliog Community Council were second homes, therefore this was higher than the 10% threshold used by the Inspector on the appeal in Nefyn. It was explained that the applicant did not agree with the figures, and noted that the majority of second homes were not let, and that he disagreed with the grounds to which the over-concentration was assessed.

It was noted that despite the applicant's arguments and although all the other TWR 2 matters were acceptable, on the basis of the current above figures and in light of the Inspector's decision and assessment on the Ty'n Pwll, Nefyn appeal, a recommendation to refuse the application had to be made on the grounds of an over-provision of such accommodation and contrary to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.1

Replacing 32 touring caravan pitches with 25 holiday lodges for year round holiday use.

LOCAL MEMBER:    Councillor Cemlyn Williams

Link to relevant background documents

Replace 32 touring caravan pitches with 25 holiday lodges for year round holiday use.

(a)       The Planning Manager elaborated on the background to the application, and noted that the proposal involved locating 25 holiday units within a concealed site and within the built environment and it was considered that this proposal would not lead to an over-concentration of similar static caravan/chalet sites in the vicinity of the application and that, in itself, it would not have a substantial and significant impact on the character and amenities of the local landscape. It was explained that the proposal would reduce the density of the use of the current site, by replacing 32 touring caravans.

Given its concealed location within the townscape; its scale which was less dense than the current use and the fact that it appeared that the holiday accommodation and the overall site would provide high quality facilities, the proposal was acceptable.

It was revealed that there were flooding issues on parts of the site, and that the applicant had moved the chalets from the part that suffered flooding, and that there was no access within the flood zone. It was noted that Natural Resources Wales was satisfied with the proposal.

The development was acceptable in terms of relevant local and national policies for the reasons noted in the report.

(b)     It was proposed and seconded to approve the application.

          During the ensuing discussion, the following main observations were noted by members:

·         There were many static unit sites in the area, and the number of static units in the area was way above the threshold of over-concentration. Of the opinion that converting a static caravan site into a permanent static units site was a step too far;

·         With regard to the Tourism Unit's concern regarding the overprovision of static units and the lack of touring sites in the Caernarfon area, what assessment had been made? The number of touring caravan sites in the area needed to be protected;

·         The proposal would mean less transport, and would not be visible from anywhere;

·         The development was better than the existing development. Would the applicant sell or let the chalets?

·         The proposal would be an improvement to the site, with a reduction in the number of units. The Town Council did not object the proposal, it was not possible to restrict the use of the site to 11 months in accordance with their wish, but imposing a holiday use condition only/keeping a register would ensure that the chalets would not be occupied as permanent homes.

(c)     In response to the above observations, the officers noted:

·         In the context of Policy TWR 3 of the JLDP, over-concentration was assessed in terms of the capacity of the local landscape for additional holiday chalet or caravan developments. The development would not be visible in the landscape;

·         That the Tourism Unit's wish was to have more touring sites. That there were touring sites in the area and there was potential in the landscape for new  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.2

Construction of  2 affordable houses (revised application).

LOCAL MEMBER:    Councillor John Brynmor Hughes

Link to relevant background documents

Construction of two affordable dwellings (amended application). 

(a)     The Planning Manager elaborated on the background of the application and noted that the site was in the countryside on the outskirts of the housing cluster of Llanengan. It was explained that Policy TAI 6 of the JLDP was the relevant housing policy for clusters, and this could enable the construction of houses in clusters if compliance could be secured with all criteria contained in the policy.

          Details were given on the criteria:

·         Criterion 1: 'The need for an affordable house for local need (in accordance with the List of Terms) has been proven' - That the need for an affordable house for the initial occupiers of house number 1 had been proven, but the need for an affordable house for the occupiers of house number 2 had not been proven. In light of this, the proposal does not fully meet criterion 1 with regard to proving the need for affordable housing.

·         Criterion 2: 'The site is an infill site, between buildings highlighted on the relevant Inset Map, or a site directly opposite the curtilage of a coloured building' - The application site was not an infill site as it was not located directly adjacent to the curtilage of a coloured building with the county road between the road coloured in red and the site. The New Houses in Rural Villages Supplementary Planning Guidance gave an idea of the type of sites which were acceptable, and that sites where there was a road between the building coloured in red and the site were not suitable.

·         There was no concern with regard to criterion 3 and 4.

·         Criterion 5: 'The size of the property reflects the specific need for an affordable house in terms of the size and the number of bedrooms' - The houses in question were two-storey with an internal floor surface area of approximately 116m². Since the application was submitted, a new Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) Affordable Housing has been adopted. It could be seen that the size of the affordable houses had been reduced in comparison to the previous Affordable Housing SPG; now, the size for a two-storey, 5 person, three bedroom house was 94 square metres. It was not considered that the size of the houses reflected the size of affordable properties.

·         There was no concern with regard to criterion 6.

·         Criterion 7: 'There are mechanisms to restrict the occupancy of the house initially and in perpetuity to those who have a need for an affordable house' - As part of the application, an estimate was received for the proposed houses, which was prepared by Beresford Adams. The estimate noted that the open market price for the houses would be £325,000. A 45% discount linked to the Affordable Housing 106 agreement would not make the houses affordable for other families in the area. There had been instances in the parish of Llanengan in the past, where house prices were high and, therefore they were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.3

Conversion of building to 14 flats.

LOCAL MEMBER:    Councillor Annwen Daniels

Link to relevant background documents

Conversion of building into 14 flats.

(a)     It was reported that late observations had been received from the Language Unit, which noted that they did not feel that sufficient information had been submitted by the developer in order to be able to form a full opinion on the impact of the development on the Welsh language; and, due to a lack of clarity in the developer's documents, the standpoint that there would be no impact could not be supported. The Committee was requested to defer the application in order to discuss with the applicant, and to understand the linguistic situation in the context of what was being offered as part of the proposal.

          A proposal to undertake a site visit was made and seconded. A vote was taken on the proposal, but it fell. 

         RESOLVED to defer the application.

Conversion of first and second floor into 8 self-contained residential units together with alterations to the front elevation of the building.

LOCAL MEMBER:    Councillor Steve Collings

Link to relevant background documents

Alterations to the first and second floors to create eight self-contained living units, along with modifications to the front elevation of the building.

(a)     The Planning Manager elaborated on the background of the application, and it was noted that Policy TAI 9 of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Local Development Plan (JLDP) permitted the subdivision of existing properties into self-contained flats, provided they complied with the relevant criteria.

         It was noted that the Housing Mix Statement submitted by the applicant stated that there was a lack of provision with regard to one-bedroom units in Bangor. The information received from the Housing Strategy Unit confirmed a lack of provision with regard to this type of accommodation, stating that there were 940 applicants on the Council's Housing Options Team register who wished to obtain one-bedroom units in the Bangor area; and that approving this application would go some way toward responding to the demand for social housing of this kind.

         It was confirmed that although the proposal did not provide more units than the indicative housing provision, the applicant had voluntarily submitted a Language and Community Statement. It was noted that the Language Unit had concluded that the development itself would not have a significant impact on the character and linguistic character of the community.

         The development was acceptable in terms of relevant local and national policies for the reasons noted in the report.

         It was recommended to impose an additional condition to what was stated in the report, in order to ensure a waste bin/storage provision to satisfy the needs of the units permitted.

(b)     It was proposed and seconded to approve the application.

          During the ensuing discussion, the following main observations were noted by members:

·         There was an increasing number of applications to modify buildings into residential units in Bangor, and that there was a need to question whether there was any demand for these types of units;

·         940 applicants who were on the Council's Housing Options Team register wished to obtain one-bedroom units in the area;

·         Many applications of this kind were being approved, but not being developed; A concern that the applications would be implemented at the same time, leading to an influx of new one or two bedroom units at the same time;

·         There was no parking provision on the site - although there were public transport links, car parks and streets were full as employees parked all day, meaning that there were no parking areas for visitors. The situation needed to be monitored.

(c)     In response to the above observations, an officer noted:

·         Monitoring work would be undertaken and consideration would be given to planning permissions and those that were being implemented in the context of the JLDP in its entirety.

RESOLVED to approve the application.

Conditions:

1.     Five years.

2.     In accordance with the plans.

3.     Ensure that two of the units are affordable by submitting an affordable housing scheme.

4.    A waste/bin storage provision to satisfy the needs of the units.

Extend existing water treatment works to accommodate ancillary equipment and landscaping.

LOCAL MEMBER:    Councillor Elwyn Jones

Link to relevant background documents

Extension of existing water treatment works site to install appliances, equipment and landscaping

(a)     The Planning Manager elaborated on the background of the application, and it was noted that the principle of approving developments for utilities' infrastructure such as water supply was based on Policy ISA 1 of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Local Development Plan. Considering the scale and nature of this development in mind, it was considered that the proposal was acceptable in principle.

         The development was acceptable in terms of relevant local and national policies for the reasons noted in the report.

(b)     In response to an enquiry from a member, the Planning Manager noted that although the application was submitted by Welsh Water, observations were submitted as part of the statutory consultation from a different Unit from within Welsh Water.

RESOLVED to approve the application.

Conditions:

1.     Five years.

2.     In accordance with the plans.

3.     Landscaping.

4.    Comply with the mitigation measures of the Preliminary Ecological Report.