Concerns raised over housing development plans near World Heritage Site

Richard Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

People living in a quiet Welsh village have expressed their fury over plans to build a new housing estate on the edge of a World Heritage Site.

Following a public meeting last week at Conwy ’s Comrades Club, residents fear the proposals for the field on the edge of Gyffin will ruin the countryside tranquillity and cause danger on the “narrow” road as well as congestion problems.

Access to the new housing estate is also a major bone of contention, with other concerns relating to wildlife, as the area is said to be populated by several species, including owls.

The concerns follow the plans being unveiled by Beech Developments (NW) Ltd last month, on behalf of housing group Adra, as part of a pre-consultation on 95 affordable homes.

If granted planning permission, the new estate will be built on the five hectares of land off Llanrwst Road at the brow of a hill as you enter or leave the village of Gyffin.

The plans include a mix of houses, bungalows, and apartments. Whilst previous attempts for homes on the land have been refused planning permission, the developers are citing a shortage of affordable housing in the county, and agents Grimster Planning are currently carrying out a pre-application consultation until February 26.

The site lies around 200m south of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Conwy Castle and at the edge of the Creuddyn and Conwy Registered Historic Landscape.

Residents’ response

Residents say they are angry the site is not part of land allocated for development as part of the council’s Local Development Plan.

Andrew Jones, 41, has lived at Allt Y Coed since 2023, next door to the field. Mr Jones’ back garden and drive currently overlook the site.

He said: “Conwy being a medieval town, it is not built to withstand so much traffic. A development this size is going to cause massive problems for people in the morning going to work.

“I’m disappointed, upset, and angry. I feel a mixture of emotions. We purchased this property from my mother in law, who lived here for 12 years, and as far as she was concerned, this site was outside of the council’s Local Development Plan.

“It wasn’t even considered for planning. So with it being in a World Heritage Site town, the last thing we thought is the green belt land here would be considered for development.”

Dangerous road

Donna Stocking, 56, has lived opposite the site at Plas Glorian Farm for 40 years. She said traffic struggled to climb the brow of the hill on Llanrwst Road, which meant many vehicles exceeded the speed limit. She was also concerned about how access to the new estate would function on a route with a blind bend.

She said: “You can’t physically get up the hill at 20 miles an hour. Nobody sticks to the speed limit. The downhill lane is narrower, so tractors and buses have to pull out into the opposing lane to avoid hitting the building, the old farm on the left-hand side.

“It is a very dangerous road. Accidents on the road happen all the time. In the 40 years I’ve lived here, constantly people are stopping and picking up wing mirrors. There is constantly hooting, speeding, near misses. If you pull out of Plas Glorian Farm onto Llanrwst Road, you take your life into your own hands.”

Further concerns

Martin Rafter, 68, also lived at Plas Glorian Farm, and said: “This road is a very narrow carriageway, without any pavements on either side of it, so they put forward a planning statement to say that the largest vehicle will be 10.2m in length, with a tight turning circle.

“I’ve checked with the borough council, and their largest bin wagon, for instance, is 11 and a half metres long.”

Martin also claimed that “somebody coming out of the site in a large vehicle, turning right, would actually scrape the wall of our development”.

Conwy town councillor Brent Hargreaves said: “I feel it is almost a privilege to live in this beautiful part of the world, looking out of our window onto green fields and horses, the tranquillity we have, the dark skies, the oak tree there which owls call from at night.”

Cllr Hargreaves had serious concerns about an old oak tree opposite his home at Plas Glorian Farm.

He added: “The idea of bricking it up (the field) to within its (the old oak’s) trunk and to its detriment, and to damage the natural beauty of a place when there is no need for housing in the small town of Conwy compared to the vast county of Conwy, it’s very distressing, and we do not want this to proceed, this wicked project.”

Beech Homes Ltd was contacted for a comment. Anyone wanting to comment on the plans as part of the pre-application consultation can email [email protected]