Planning for 32 homes in Abermule rejected by Powys County Council

PLANS for a  new housing estate in Abermule have been refused by Powys planners.

Wrexham based TRE Developments had applied for planning permission to build 32 homes.

They would have been a mixture of two, three and four bedroomed properties at land in the village next to The Meadows.

The company had intended to provide family homes and included plans for six affordable homes in the 32.

In the decision notice, Head of Property, Planning and Public Protection, Gwilym Davies, explained that the plans had been refused on three main points,

Mr Davies, said: “By virtue of its low density, the proposed development fails to deliver appropriate levels of affordable housing and is therefore contrary to policies H3 and H5 of the Powys Local Development Plan (LDP).”

In the Severn Valley there is an expectation that 20 per cent of homes on any development would be affordable ones.

Mr Davies said: “The proposed development fails to provide sufficient justification to warrant the significant reduction in density from 27 dwellings per hectare to 16.58 dwellings per hectare.”

Due to this the plans fall foul of policy H4 in the LDP as they fail to demonstrate an “efficient use of land.”

Mr Davies added that the application failed to demonstrate that there would not “be an unacceptable impact on highway safety”.

In 2019, a pre-application consultation was held with villagers and Abermule with Llandyssil community council on the scheme.

In October 2020, the community council discussed the proposal and objected to it.

They listed a dozen reasons to back up their objection which included road safety concerns.

Dafydd Edwards of Blueprint Architects, explained the scheme in a design and access statement.

Mr Edwards, said:  “The design of the site has been carefully considered ensuring the existing character isn’t detrimentally affected as part of the proposal.

“This high quality development will add interest to the area, the development will characteristically improve the vicinity and assist with a known need for additional homes within the county.

“The mixture of designs proposed at the site will appeal to a vast majority of
families/couples/individuals creating a new community within this popular village.”