Housing development in Llanbedr DC: a message from ClwydAlyn

ClwydAlyn is are building 38 new homes at Llanbedr D C currently. The scheme comprises a mixture of 2 and 3 bedroom houses, 2 bedroom bungalows and 2 adapted bungalows.

It is envisaged that 14 of the homes will be available to persons applying to the Tai Teg affordable waiting list and 24 of the homes will be let to persons having applied to the Denbighshire Single Access to Housing Register, SARTH.

A Local Letting Policy has been drafted for the scheme which will mean that applicants demonstrating a local connection will be awarded priority.

The telephone number for the Single Access to Housing Register is 01824 712911 and the telephone number for the TaiTeg affordable waiting list is 03456 015 605 or
E-mail: info@taiteg.org.uk

ClwydAlyn Housing

Planning Application: 16/2019/0969 – Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of 3 number detached dwellings at Lilac Cottage

The following letters have been sent to the Planning Department:

Dear Planning,

Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd Community Council objects to this application in its current form and supports the analysis provided by the AONB Committee.
Lilac Cottage is one of few remaining historic buildings in Llanbedr DC and has significant heritage value. It is understood that the building was the lodge cottage for Llanbedr Hall, with a succession of staff living there, and was later the village Post Office. It should be retained and restored. No justification has been provided for its demolition. An Archaeological Building Assessment is clearly required prior to determination and it is requested that the assessment is forwarded to the Community Council allowing adequate time for consideration before a decision is made.

The proposal is aiming to cram too much onto the site, and would result in over-development. Lilac Cottage forms the end of a row of large detached buildings in relatively spacious plots, and the density proposed here is out of keeping. The proposed construction of identikit detached houses at the maximum possible density does not take proper account of the character of the area. The proposed density means that garden sizes are too small relative to the size of the house and insufficient parking is provided. The roof material should be slate, not concrete tile.

The Community Council welcomes new development as long as it is designed to respect the established character of the community. Subject to re-consultation, the Community Council would likely have no objection to a scheme retaining Lilac Cottage and infilling the gap to Sycamores with an appropriately-designed house respecting the existing built form and character of this part of the village.

Yours sincerely,

Gwyn Davies,
Clerk to Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd Community Council

Dear Planning,

To say the village of Llanbedr is changing is an understatement, 38 affordable houses are being built, the refurbished Griffin Pub will open in the spring, the school is thriving again, the Community Astro Turf has been refurbished.

The Community Council are hard at work at developing a Community Plan for the whole of the Llanbedr ward. We intend incorporating ideas and input from residents on what they want to improve where they live, the Community Council are holding an Open Day on the 25th January 2020 in the village hall, to develop these ideas. The Plan will be a living document which will set out actual projects – not a wish list.

It is also a time to celebrate the area’s social history. The two main physical features left here are the Old St Peter’s Churchyard which dates back to Celtic times and the Llanbedr Hall Lodge which is also of historical significance, especially as permission has been given to demolish the Hall. The Lodge-Lilac Cottage is a square building with gothic windows, it has a “modern” extension. Llanbedr Hall staff lived here, including the head gardener, it was the village Post Office for many years. The original Lodge is a sound building, there are no signs of leaks or damp, the physical features of a house build are in place, slab, services and watertight structure, the basics for refurbishment to its original state, with a suitable kitchen extension at the back.

The building application as it stands proposes the demolition of the Lodge, and squeezing three houses onto the plot, erasing the last part of Llanbedr Hall’s role in the village’s history. The Community Council have recently taken over the stewardship of the Old St Peter’s Churchyard to develop it as a Community asset. So can I ask you carefully consider this application and see whether a compromise can be reached whereby a refurbished Lodge, is incorporated in the development of the plot.

I am increasingly of the opinion we need to embrace the past to try and make sense of where we are heading in the future!

Thank you

Lyn Evans

Chairman Llanbedr Community Council

Details of the planning application can be found here

http://planning.denbighshire.gov.uk/Planning

Choose ‘Search planning applications’ and enter the reference number: 16/2019/0969

Transforming Llanbedr

Recent improvements in Llanbedr

(With thanks to superhandyman Mauro Ladeira for the first two photos)

The refurbished bus shelter….

The old garage on the A494 tidied up…

The Griffin Pub re-opening soon…

and new houses, new faces in our village!

 

Response to planning application 16/2018/1137- 38 dwellings

Llanbedr DC Community Council’s response to Planning Application: 16/2018/1137 – Erection of 38 dwellings, construction of a new behicular access, provision of open space and associated works on land adjoining The Old Rectory, Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd, Ruthin.
Dear Planning,
The proposed scheme will change the character of the village and will be the largest new development in the village for many years. The Community Council notes that the site is allocated for development in the Local Plan and welcomes the development of this site for affordable housing in principle; it will increase the vitality and viability of the village and its amenities. However, the Community Council took the opportunity to provide constructive pre-application feedback on the proposals and is disappointed to see that its comments have almost entirely been swept aside. No positive changes have been made to the scheme and no meaningful justification has been provided for the failure to do so, beyond stating that the layout has already been agreed with the County Council.

 

Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd Community Council objects to the application for the following reasons:

1. The clear pattern of development in the village is for houses to face the road. The scheme must be redesigned to present a strong frontage to the existing road, rather than corners, dead-ends and utility buildings. The scheme will not integrate with the village by turning its side to it, and this integration is all the more important for affordable housing if the aim is to create mixed communities.

2. The proposed public open space should be integrated into the development. Locating the POS to the rear will not encourage natural surveillance and is simply poor design which has not been justified and should be refused. As shown, the location of the POS appears to be driven by an arbitrary line on a plan rather than by good design, and there is no sound urban design reason to suggest otherwise. It would be sensible to consider locating the POS at the front of the site and setting the houses back from the road, as this would mirror the situation opposite. The only other acceptable alternative would be to locate the POS centrally within the development.

3. The village does not currently have a play area, so to ensure that new and existing residents have access to such facilities the public open space should incorporate recreation facilities for all ages (e.g. a children’s play area). There are no such facilities in the village at present. Despite what the applicant says, there is absolutely no certainty that other developments capable of providing an equipped amenity area in the village will come forward.

4. The Community Council expects the development to be well-landscaped, incorporating new tree and hedge planting (native species). Front boundaries should comprise stone walls and/or hedges to be in keeping with local character.

5. The Community Council is pleased to note that the developer will fund management of public amenities provided in the proposed development.

6. The Community Council notes that Welsh Water Dwr Cymru has expressed concerns about the proximity of the site to the sewage treatment works and shares these concerns. Currently the treatment works are screened poorly by a row of unsightly conifers. We would like to see efforts made to screen the works from view and to ensure that residents are not unduly affected by odours.

7. The roads around the site, particularly those linking the site to the primary school and village centre, are not pedestrian-friendly and although the provision of a pavement along the site frontage is welcomed this will not be sufficient to ensure safe access to village amenities. The school in particular can only be accessed via a road with a derestricted speed limit. To address this problem the Community Council would like to see efforts made to provide additional pavement/footways and/or traffic calming. It is noted that the applicant describes the road as a ‘shared space’ but this is disingenuous. A simple absence of safe walking and cycling provision does not make a shared space.

 

The Community Council looks forward to seeing amendments addressing these concerns and would welcome the opportunity to comment further at that stage.