Agenda item

We considered the report of the application which was presented for refusal for the reason, as outlined in the report.

Councillor G. Rogers, Chair of Llangybi Community Council, attending the meeting by invitation of the Chairman, outlined the following points:

·         Four times in the past the proposal to erect a dwelling on this site has been refused.

·         The undeveloped and open nature of the site provides an attractive and significant contribution to the character and appearance of the centre of the village.  Previous decisions were consistent with this regard.

·         The design of the proposed building is not the issue.  Planning Policies state that there should be regard for the character and appearance of the surrounding area contributing and enhancing the distinctive local landscape and historical and cultural heritage including natural and man-made elements.

·         There were sites within the village that would be better suited for development.

·         The small open space at the centre of the village was important to the village and not suitable for development.

·         In light of this information the Community Council supports the recommendation of the report to refuse the application.

The applicant’s agent, Mr. M. Roberts, attending the meeting by invitation of the Chairman, outlined the following points:

·         The report states that officers were satisfied that there was safe vehicular access, and parking arrangements could be added to this scheme.

·         There was no issue and no dispute that adequate separation distances and amenity standards would be safeguarded to adjacent residential properties.

·         Officers were also satisfied that the design, scale and detailing of the proposed cottage was in keeping with its surroundings.

·         The only dispute was the location of the cottage, which was substantially different to the previous schemes which were subject to two previous applications, not four.

·         The current scheme would be re-positioned to the edge of the site and not in the centre, retaining a much larger area of undeveloped land. Therefore achieving the retention of the focal point of the village.

·         The site was privately owned with no public access.

·         Development of the site would allow conditions to be imposed in terms of landscaping and the applicant was prepared to accept conditions established via the Planning Committee.

·         The applicant would also be content to look at the levels of the property and the local area to make it more accessible to the public and the local community.

·         The proposed cottage would be set further back from the road and the driveway to the cottage could be constructed of a grasscrete material.

·         This application was substantially different to the previous scheme and the applicant considered that this scheme overcomes the previous application’s reason for refusal as it was compliant with Planning Policies and was therefore suitable for approval.

The local Member for Llangybi Fawr, also a Planning Committee Member, considered that the centre of the village was not a suitable location for the proposed scheme and agreed with the officer recommendation that the application be refused, as outlined in the report.

The majority of the Committee expressed their support for the officer recommendation to refuse the application for the reason outlined in the report.  However, one Member expressed their support for the application as it would open up the centre of the village in a more attractive way.

It was therefore proposed by County Councillor P.R. Clarke and seconded by County Councillor A. Webb that application DC/2015/01019 be refused for the reason as outlined in the report.

Upon being put to the vote, the following votes were recorded:

For refusal                   -           13

Against refusal            -           1

Abstentions                 -           0

The proposition was carried.

We resolved that application DC/2015/01019 be refused for the reason as outlined in the report.