Leader launches scathing attack on scheme
THE leader of Carmarthenshire Council has launched a scathing attack on an unauthorised development on forestry land above a peat bog.
Councillor Emlyn Dole said he had dealt with “countless complaints” about the dumping of material at Grugos Wood, near Llannon, to widen an access track and create an area of hardstanding.
The track leads to a steel-framed building erected by applicant Carwyn Morgan for a Christmas tree-growing business he wanted to create.
The building was considered “permitted development”, but the access and hardstanding work should have had planning consent.
People in the area claimed the development had caused flooding on the adjacent B4306, damaged biodiversity and affected the underlying peat bog.
Mr Dole, who represents Llannon, was unable to attend the planning committee meeting in which Mr Morgan’s latest application to remove some of the hardstanding, enhance drainage and improve the access onto the B4306 was discussed.
But his letter, which was read out, cited “a catalogue of disasters” which had been a “serious source of concern for the best part of three years and continues to be so”.
He disagreed with the planning officers’ report, which he said indicated that the building was considered unlikely to have a detrimental effect on the surroundings.
His letter said: “I would suggest that as the local member who has called two public meetings and dealt with countless complaints with regard to flooding, contamination and damage to the ecosystem and highways safety to name but a few, that is an opinion by the planning officer and is an opinion as preposterous as it is absurd.
“The dumping of hundreds of tonnes of waste, which is referred to as hardcore material, on a nine-metre deep peat bog in an area of scientific interest and the open countryside has caused irreparable damage and extensive dangers for the safety of local road users for these past three years.”
Mr Morgan’s planning application was the third he had submitted to the council after his first two retrospective ones were refused. It included a proposal to create a pond to store surface water. There were 61 objections, but none from environment body Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
Planning officers said in a report that they had carefully considered the application and recommended it for approval as it had sought to address previous reasons for refusal.
Head of planning Llinos Quelch told the committee that the recommendation was not the opinion of one officer, but the result of discussions between several professional colleagues - with input from expert organisations like NRW.
“There is a lot of information that sits behind an officer report,” she said.