Planning for up to 20 homes thrown out over water worry
PLANNING permission for up to 20 new homes in Llwynhendy has been refused due to concerns over possible environmental impact to water quality, marine and bird life within Carmarthen Bay and the Burry Inlet.
Outline planning permission was turned down by Carmarthenshire Council’s planning department for the homes which were earmarked for land 0.9 hectares in size between Parc Gitto and Meadow Crescent.
A new access road would have served the site off Parc Gitto and run through the new housing estate, which would have comprised a mixture of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes.
Behind the plans is the estate of WJ Thomas, who first lodged the proposals in January 2019.
Concerns were raised that year by councillor Deryk Cundy over pressures on the road and sewerage infrastructure. In a letter to the council he cited traffic and sewerage capacity as issues that need exploring further.
Now, almost three years from the date of the application being lodged, the plans have been thrown out by Carmarthenshire Council’s head of planning under delegated powers.
In reaching a decision, the council ruled that the scheme had an “absence of an appropriate and deliverable scheme of surface water management” which is needed for any multiagency approach to “improve and safeguard the environmental quality of the Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Burry Inlet and, Burry Inlet Special Protected Area (SPA) and Burry Inlet Ramsar, collectively known as the Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries European Marine Site (CBEEMS).
The council report added: “It cannot be demonstrated that the development will not have an harmful impact on water quality, marine life and bird life or local infrastructure.”
The authority said as a result the plans were contrary to Welsh Government Technical Advice Note (TAN) 5: Nature Conservation and other planning policies including sustainability, water quality and protection of the natural environment.
The applicants can now lodge an appeal against the refusal decision, but it is not know whether they will as yet.