Plans for ‘Cloud House’ holiday lets resubmitted after Cadw concern expressed

Elgan Hearn, local democracy reporter

Plans for self-catering holiday units to be built into a hill on farmland near Machynlleth have been lodged with Powys County Council, for a third time.

The proposal for “up to four Cloud Houses” by Living- Room experiences ltd, is part of a diversification project at Brynmeurig Farm near Cemmaes.

The site is on hilltop pasture at Moel Eiddew.

From there visitors would have a view across to Cadair Idris near Dolgellau, and the Dyfi Valley down to the sea.

An earlier application for five cloud houses had been lodged back in March 2020, but was withdrawn later that year,

In 2021 a second proposal, but for four units was submitted but was withdrawn last July.

This followed feedback from the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, Cadw.

Cadw had pointed out that a scheduled monument, Moel Eiddew platform cairn, is 310 metres from the site and they believed the development could have an “adverse impact” on it.

Impact assessment

With the fresh application is an archaeological landscape impact assessment, which looks at whether or not the scheme would affect the ancient monument.

Mark Bond of Living Space explained that the “integrity of the monument” is already “compromised” as a concrete triangulation point is on its northwest side and a nearby windfarm development already affects the views from the cairn.

Mr Bond said:  “The four predominantly underground Cloud houses have been designed to be sensitive to the location, both environmentally and visually.

“The overall ethos is that they sit unobtrusively in the landscape and sit gently in the location.”

Mr Bond said that it was expected that if four families stayed at the site, occupants would be a “maximum” of 16 people,

Mr Bond added that they would be “happy to work with Cadw” should they have more concerns about the plans.

Floor area

Each Cloud House would have an internal combined floor area of 49Msq and 2.4m high.

Visitors would be expected to leave their vehicles in a car park and walk to the cloud houses along footpaths and boardwalks.

The company have been working with the family at Brynmeurig on a tree house holiday project that has been operating for over a decade.

Mr Bond said: “It is hoped that the Cloud house project will provide an enjoyable, exciting, and educational experience for each visitor and offers increased revenue opportunities to local retail and hospitality businesses within Cemmaes village and beyond.”

It is expected that a decision by Powys planners should be made by July 22.