Erection of 7 dwellings (including
2 affordable dwellings) together with new accesses.
LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Sion Wyn Jones
Link
to relevant background documents
Minutes:
Erection of seven
houses (including two affordable houses), along with new accesses.
(a) The
Senior Development Control Officer elaborated on the background of the application
and noted that the application had been deferred at the Committee meeting held
on 27 November 2017 in order to allow officers to consult with Welsh Water
following recent flooding in Bethel.
It
was noted that a response had been received from Welsh Water which continued to
confirm (for the third time) that there would be sufficient capacity for the
site without causing any harm to the assets and equipment of Welsh Water. This
was based on analysing the hydraulic capacity of the local public sewage system
and the expected flow that could be produced by the proposed development.
It was
explained that this was an outline application to erect five detached dwellings
and two semi-detached affordable housing units and the creation of new accesses
from the nearby class III county road adjacent to the site within the
development boundary of the village of Bethel.
Attention was drawn to the additional observations
that had been received.
It was recommended for the Committee to delegate
powers to the Senior Planning Manager to approve the application subject to the
completion of the 106 Agreement or comply with a suitable condition to ensure
that two of the seven houses that were the subject of the application were
affordable and to relevant conditions.
(b) The local
member (not a member of this Planning Committee) noted the following main
points:
·
That he had met Welsh Water the previous week and
they were not aware of the sewage problems.
·
That he was concerned that no assessment or survey
of the situation had been carried out as part of drawing up the LDP;
·
That there was a need for houses in the area and
that the application was an excellent opportunity in terms of the size of the
houses;
·
Requested an independent investigation into sewage
problems before building on the site, if possible;
·
That he was looking forward to working with the
applicant for the benefit of the community.
(c) In response to the
observations of the local member, the Senior Planning Service Manager noted
that confirmation had been received by Welsh Water for the third time that
there was sufficient capacity in the system. In terms of an independent
investigation, it was not possible for the Council to carry out such an
investigation; however, Welsh Water could be requested to carry out an
independent investigation and the Council would continue to converse with the
local member and residents.
(ch) It was
proposed and seconded to approve the application.
In response to an enquiry by a member regarding a
condition to ensure that no surface water ran into the sewage system, the
Senior Development Control Officer noted, in accordance with Welsh Water's
observations, that it was recommended to impose a condition that surface water
was not disposed of directly into the system.
A member noted that he supported the application
and that receiving confirmation from Welsh Water for the third time confirmed
that there was capacity in the sewage system and that this provided firm
grounds to make a decision.
A member noted that the site was within the
development boundary and that it would address housing needs. The application
as an outline plan was to be commended.
Resolved: To delegate
powers to the Senior Planning Manager to approve the application, subject to
completing a 106 Agreement or adhering to an appropriate condition that two of
the seven houses that are the subject of this application are affordable and to
relevant conditions relating to:-
1. Time conditions
2. Reserved
Matters
3. External
materials including slate.
4. Landscaping.
5. Highways.
6. Withdrawal of
permitted development rights on the two affordable houses.
7. Welsh Water
condition regarding the disposal of surface water/run-off from the site.
8. Biodiversity
Supporting documents: