Extra care facility and residential home approved amid projected 70% rise in over 85-year-olds

Dale Spridgeon Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for an extra care facility and residential home to meet a “significant and growing demand” for accommodation for older people on Anglesey have been approved.

It came amid projections for a 70% rise in the number of over-85-year-olds on Anglesey over the next 10 years.

Anglesey County Council’s planning committee agreed to the major development at Glanynys, Tyddyn Mostyn.

The application was made by the council’s head of housing through the agent Axis P.E.D Ltd.

It was passed at Anglesey council’s planning committee meeting recently. (Wednesday, April 1).

The site would be owned and operated by the council and the units would be rented.

The committee agreed to a full application to erect a 45 unit (31 one bedroom and 14 two bedrooms) extra-care facility plus a 28 bed residential care home.

It would also include the development of community facilities, a new vehicular access and highway improvement works and demolition of an existing building on the site.

The proposal would see the creation of a restaurant/café, reception area, space for community support services, office, external amenity areas around the site, access road, car parking, turning areas, provision of fire and emergency vehicle access off Druid Road and drainage works.

The plans would also see the removal of 141 trees with 429 to be planted in mitigation.

Public speaker Jamie Bradshaw described how the development had been a response to an “identified need” for the type of accommodation,

It had been designed on the site already allocated for housing under the Local Development Plan.

It would follow on from similar “successful” schemes built in Llangefni and Holyhead, and would be a “high quality, attractive and modern” development, he said.

The site was located on 1.8 hectares of sloping, vacant and overgrown land between Tyddyn Mostyn and Druid Road.

Access to the new development would be off Tyddyn Mostyn.

The development would not impact access to Ysgol Y Borth and had been designed to “ensure amenity and privacy” of local residents and a “suitable” level of parking, Mr Bradshaw said.

“Overall the proposal is a suitable development of an allocated housing site in a highly accessible location,” he said.

“It would provide a high-quality development to allow the authority to provide a care home and extra-care housing to help meet your residents’ needs in this part of the island.”

Head of Development and Planning Rhys Lloyd Jones described the scheme as a “major development” which was recommended for approval

The application had attracted 10 web comments and 11 letters in objection.

Issues included concerns over impact on ecology, lack of need, too close to the primary school, need to retain the green area, the scale, the potential for overlooking, noise and disruption.

Councillors also raised issues during the meeting ranging from why a brownfield site had not been chosen and the loss of green areas on the island, to council tax refunds, to the effect of road closures and the impact of noise and disruption on locals during the construction phase.

Mr Lloyd Jones said “There is a clear need for affordable and specialist units. The demand for this type of accommodation is growing.

“There is a 70% projected increase in the number of over-85s on the island over the next 10 years…the director of social services says there is significant demand.”

He also added that an Arboricultural Impact Assessment submitted with the planning application had stated that a total of 141 trees were to be removed whilst 429 trees will be planted.

“It is part of a mitigation scheme for their loss, it would be three for one,” he added.

The planning officers report had also noted that only five of the trees were Category A and that a number of them had the Ash Die Back disease

Acknowledging the concerns of residents, Aethwy councillor Sonia Williams, was not against the plan, but urged developers to “communicate” with residents during the construction phase.

“If you go to Hafan Cefni [the extra care facility site in Llangefni] you can see how fantastic the service is there, so I don’t have any objections, ” she said.

“However, I do have concerns about the pipe to run from the site towards the rugby field, the impact of the work on the community ,and the closure of roads, so I am here today to make sure that you will communicate with residents.

“It is already difficult to leave the estate in the morning due to the amount of traffic.”

She also called for “more information” on the noise and added that “traffic management would be key especially at school times”.

Mr Lloyd Jones replied that construction and traffic management plans would be presented before work started to explain how environmental impacts would be mitigated and to “greet the concerns” from local residents.