Row over housing plan
Developer’s application for 46 new homes
ACONTROVERSIAL housing development more than 50% larger than previously expected has been passed by planners.
Beech Developments ( NW) Ltd applied for planning for 46 new houses on land off Ysgyborwen Road, Dwygyfylchi, with officers recommending Conwy County Council accept the scheme.
The village’s county councillor Anne McCaffrey said the Local Development Plan (LDP) outlined provision for just 30 dwellings on the site, that local infrastructure could not cope and the development would encroach on land outside the provision of the LDP.
“This is an urban development in a small, rural village.” said Cllr McCaffrey, who spoke against the plan at Wednesday’s planning meeting.
“It has been opposed by a lot of people in the village although villagers accept that there’s provision for new houses in the LDP.
“There’s a strong feeling against the development for a number of reasons.”
Penmaenmawr Town Council objected citing a lack of capacity on the roads at peak times and also current oversubscription to the local primary school (Ysgol Capelulo) and doctor’s surgery.
Cllr McCaffrey, chair of governors at Ysgol Capelulo, believes regardless of up to £180,000 being offered to help offset extra provision for waste disposal, educational places, open spaces and footpaths, the development is too big and too cramped for the village.
“I made 11 material planning objections and density is one of them,” she said.
“It was allocated for 30 houses and this is for 46.
“The area they are using is 17% outside the LDP area.”
In response, The Planning Consul- tancy, working on behalf of Beech Homes wrote to Conwy planners on 26 June, refuting Cllr McCaffrey’s claims.
It said the development area was wholly within the LDP boundary and the numbers of dwellings proposed in an LDP are “purely indicative”.
There have been three petitions against development in Dwygyfylchi, and more than 7,250 representations have been made against it according to Cllr McCaffrey.
The plans were passed with a proviso a new consultation is allowed to be completed by August 21 and almost £180,000 of section 106 funding was paid for the benefit of the village.