Controversial former hospital demolition plans rejected again

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter

Controversial plans to knock down a former hospital and build houses have been turned down again.

The application was to build 25 houses with parking spaces on land at the rear of Tirycoed Road, Glanamman in Carmarthenshire in a scheme requiring the demolition of the former Amman Valley Maternity Hospital and also two Tirycoed Road houses to create a new access.

A design and access statement submitted to Carmarthenshire Council on behalf of applicant Thomas Brothers Ltd, Betws, said the bungalows and homes would be high-quality and create an attractive place to live in an area of housing need.

It said the development would be in “what is considered to be low-grade agricultural land surrounded by mature and semi-mature trees making it inconspicuous within the landscape”, and that steps had been taken to overcome previous reasons for refusal including a reduction in the number of properties.

The statement, which was accompanied by other reports including ones about transport and ecology, said requirements for the applicant to make affordable housing and other contributions as part of a legal agreement with the council would be considered in a financial viability appraisal.

There was considerable opposition to the application including from a group called Tirycoed Campaign Group.

Objector Andy Coughlan said in an email to the county council that Tirycoed Road was effectively single lane because vehicles were parked on both sides of the road. “To increase traffic would be completely unrealistic for us as local residents,” he said. He added that people were worried about the impact of the proposal on biodiversity and wildlife.

Objector Jane Driver said she was concerned about traffic, flood risk and the impact on trees and habitats, while Ffion Bartlett said “it would be a great shame to destroy a building that has heaps of history and could be used for a central hub for the community”.

The application was submitted in 2023 and followed three unsuccessful attempts since 2015 to build new houses off Tirycoed Road.

Welsh ministers issued the council with what’s known as a holding direction meaning it could turn the latest plans down but not approve them without prior authorisation.

Four grounds 

The council has rejected the scheme on four grounds. It said the application was not supported by sufficient, up-to-date and reliable ecological information to enable the authority to properly assess the effects on “protected species, priority habitat, biodiversity and ecosystem resilience”.

It also said the development included open market housing extending outside the defined development limits of Glanamman, and that the applicant hadn’t entered into an agreement relating to affordable housing provision.

The fourth reason for refusal was the council not being able to conclude if the project would adversely effect the Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries special area of conservation due to a lack of information. Thomas Brothers Ltd can appeal.

Last summer the council received a complaint about what it described as a potential breach of planning control and said it was investigating after concerns were raised about clearance work at the site. A Thomas Brothers spokesman said at the time the work involved cutting back growth after a few years of not doing so.