Councillor and residents ‘losing sleep’ over fears of housing on field

Richard Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

A town councillor is leading a campaign to stop housing being built on a field in a “Special Landscape Area”.

Conwy Town councillor Brent Hargreaves wants the field in Gyffin removed from the county council’s Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) – with the threat of a new social housing estate looming.

Conwy County Council is holding a public consultation on the RLDP until Sunday (March 22), with the new planning document mapping out what can be built and where in the county until 2033.

Beech Homes and Adra want to build 95 homes on five hectares of the Special Landscape Area off Llanrwst Road, Gyffin.

The plans are for the field at the brow of a hill as you enter or leave the village of Gyffin next to Conwy town.

Whilst Adra has recently closed its own pre-planning application consultation for the field, the land is also listed in Conwy County Council’s RLDP as “ranked for housing” – which means the area has been “assessed”.

“Ranked for housing” means sites are deemed “not required” for the RLDP, due to alternative, more sustainable locations being available.

Whilst ranked sites don’t hold legal planning status for allocation, other sites have been withdrawn entirely, and planning applications can also be submitted for consideration for anywhere in the county, regardless of their inclusion in the LDP.

Last month the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported how villagers in Gyffin condemned the plans, insisting the new estate would ruin the countryside tranquillity, cause danger on the “narrow” road, and worsen congestion.

They also raised fears about wildlife. 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.

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

Cllr Hargreaves said he was losing sleep because of the prospect of a new housing estate being built.

Whilst the council says it has no plans to cite the field for allocation, Cllr Hargreaves wants the authority to withdraw the site entirely from the RLDP, fearing it could be used as a “substitute” site in the future.

He said: “Dozens, if not hundreds, of local residents in Gyffin delight in being surrounded by this natural beauty.

“We can walk around Conwy town and see from the town walls these full green fields, with sheep on the top; one has horses on, and it is one of the joys of living in this part of the world to have this natural beauty.

“The prospect of having it built on is very distressing. We are actually losing sleep because we know that we are facing sophisticated, canny people with deep pockets who make a living out of transforming green spaces into profit opportunities.”

Cllr Hargreaves said other sites have been withdrawn from the document altogether.

He explained: “Our concern is that because, in the addendum protocol document, this item is listed as ‘ranked for housing’, unlike the item above it and below it, which have been ‘withdrawn’. If the council withdrew site 192 (the field) from this ranking status, we would be content.

“Our concern is that – just like a substitute in a football game is not part of the starting 11 but is sitting there suited and booted, ready to leap into action the second the manager calls him in – if other sites in the Local Development Plan should drop out for whatever reason, such as developers saying they can’t afford it, then that ranking promotes it onto the pitch, and then it is bulldozer time. Our desire is for the council to withdraw this ranking status.”

He added: “Ranking negates the legal protection of the Special Landscape Area. Special Landscape Areas can be suspended because of a housing need in the parish. The developers are citing housing need in Conwy borough, a vast, sprawling area, and they are citing that housing need in that vast area as housing need in our tight-knit local community; this is deceptive.”

Despite this, land doesn’t have to be included in the LDP for a planning application to be submitted.

Also, a developer doesn’t have to own the land for an application to be submitted.

The county council said it was aware that there was a pre-application consultation for the land.

A spokeswoman said: “The site is not proposed as an allocation in the RLDP. The council has not received a planning application on the site. The council is aware that the local community has received a pre-application consultation (PAC) from a developer.”

She added: “The purpose of PAC is to provide an early opportunity for communities and stakeholders to comment on development proposals before progressing a formal planning application. The PAC process is led by the developer/landowner and does not involve the planning authority at this stage. Only upon registration of a planning application will the council consult directly with local residents.”

The council confirmed the field is a Special Landscape Area and not considered a “contingency” site.

She added: “All candidate sites that have been submitted to the RLDP for consideration have been assessed for suitability and deliverability. Ranked are sites that are deemed deliverable through initial assessment but are not required for the RLDP due to alternative and more sustainable site locations. Ranked sites hold no legal planning status.”

Both Beech Homes and Adra, the housing association behind the development, were contacted for comment.