Construction of dwelling and creation of parking space.
LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Sian Wyn Hughes
Minutes:
Construction of a dwelling and creation of parking
spaces.
(a) The
Senior Development Control Officer elaborated on the background of the
application, noting that the application had been deferred at the Committee
meeting held on 5 September 2016 in order to assess the amended details and
responses to the re-consultation. Members of the Committee had visited the site
prior to the meeting.
It
was reported that this was an outline application to erect a residential
dwelling on a plot of land that forms part of the garden of 10 Penrhos, Morfa Nefyn. As this was an outline application, the only matter
that required consideration was the principle of developing the site.
Attention
was drawn to the fact that the Transportation Unit had no objection to the proposal
if appropriate conditions were imposed to ensure that the hedge / wall to the
north of the entrance was lowered and maintained at a height no greater than 1
metre in order to safeguard the necessary visibility splay of the entrance.
It
was noted that in dealing with the application, it became apparent that some
issues arose in terms of the ownership of the private track which leads from
the county road to the site. It was emphasised that land ownership issues
associated with the track were civil matters to be resolved between the
applicant and the alternative landowner.
Due
to the residential nature of the area, the development was not considered to be
out of character or detrimental to the area’s visual or residential amenities.
The development complied with the GUDP for the reasons noted in the
report.
(b) The local member (a member of this Planning Committee) objected
to the application and the following main points were made:-
·
The proposal
would mean losing greenery in the area impacting
biodiversity and the privacy of nearby houses;
·
Questioning whether
there was a need for a house considering
that there were approximately 30 houses for sale
in the village;
·
It would not be an affordable house;
·
Concern about
the effect on the community and Welsh language as the existing housing stock was not affordable;
·
That a number
of houses in the village were holiday
homes and empty at times;
·
Concern regarding
access to the site and road safety
in an area
where accidents occured;
·
That the proposal
was an over-development that would not blend in with its
location.
(c) In response to the observations
by the local member, the Senior Planning
Service Manager noted that it was an
application for a house within the development boundary that was before the Committee.
(ch)
It was proposed and seconded
to approve the application.
During
the ensuing discussion, the following main observations were noted:
·
Concern about visibility where the track meets the
road. Should a request to widen be made to improve the situation?
·
Considering the size of the house, would it abut the boundary on both sides?
·
Concern that it would set a precedent in the area
if a house was allowed to be built in the garden;
·
That the Town Council objected to the application
and that there were no passing places on the private track;
·
The hedge was not owned by the applicant;
·
That there were modern houses adjacent to the site;
·
There were no planning reasons for objecting the
application so an appeal could not be defended.
(d) In response to the above observations, the officers noted:-
·
That the visibility to one side of the entrance was
substandard but, as the applicant had agreed to cut the hedge down to a height
of 1 metre in front of the site, it was acceptable;
·
A widening was not necessary as the width of the
road was sufficient and the entrance was a private one with two sufficient
openings;
·
In the application the maximum and minimum heights
of the house were noted. Reference was made to the fact that the indicated size
of the property would be similar to the expected size of a two storey, three
bedroom affordable house;
·
That Building Control usually requested a metre on
either side of the site boundary and, from looking at the plans, there were
more than two metres on either side;
·
That the land on which the house was proposed to be
built was in addition to the garden next to the existing house;
·
Were full planning permission granted in future, a
condition would be imposed stating that the height of the hedge be reduced
before developing the site. The civil matter of ownership was an issue for the
applicant to solve.
RESOLVED
to approve the application.
Conditions:
1. The commencement of the development and
submitting reserved matters
2. Materials and finishes.
3. Access and parking.
4. Landscaping.
5. Welsh Water - surface water.
6. Development to comply with the approved
plans.
Supporting documents: