An application for the flats at Tonyrefail and Rhondda Wildlife Sanctuary in Gilfach Road, Tonyrefail, was voted down by the council’s planning committee on Thursday, August 14, against officer recommendations, meaning it will come back at a later date for the strengths and weaknesses of making such a decision to be considered.
A previous version of the application for the site went to the Taf Area development control committee on July 12, 2007, with a recommendation it be refused for planning policy reasons in force at that time and for highway safety reasons.
The matter was deferred for a site visit which took place in August 2007 and it went back to committee in September 2007, when members decided to defer the application to allow for further negotiation with the applicant towards an appropriate design solution and to address the highway issue.
The planning report said after that, little progress was made and the application was placed in “abeyance” (temporarily suspended) by the case officer at that time at the request of the applicant pending the delivery of the county borough-wide local development plan (LDP).
The LDP changed the status of the site to an allocation for housing development as a part of the wider Trane Farm Allocation.
But difficulties continued in bringing the site forward due to the need to ensure the wider allocation would not be prejudiced by the development of this site.
The planning report said as the Trane Farm planning application has now been refused, it is appropriate to bring this application to a decision.
There have also been further difficulties and delay in addressing the concerns of Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water relating to the sewage system in the area and its capacity to accommodate the proposed development but the report said these issues have also been resolved.
The report advises members of the committee that following the refusal of the Trane Farm planning application, this application has been revised for 30 flats with the original submission including 24 flats and six dwellings.
The removal of the dwellings was required as access was originally proposed from the north via Trane Farm, which is no longer an option.
Council officers had recommended the plans for approval, saying: “The principle of the proposed development is considered acceptable as the site forms part of a larger housing allocation under the current LDP.
“The proposals will not prejudice the delivery of the remainder of the allocation.
“The proposals are considered acceptable in respect of all other material particulars and will make a valued contribution towards addressing the current housing land supply shortage within the county borough.”
The planning report said matters relating to appearance, landscaping, layout and scale have been reserved for future consideration so it is only the principle of residential development on this land and the details of access to the site to be considered at the moment.
But Councillor Danny Grehan said there are too many doubts with the development.
He said: “It’s 30 houses on land which isn’t appropriate for 30 houses. The access to the site is difficult, parking is going to be impossible.”
He also said the fact there is a Site of Special Scientific Interest next to it is a cause of concern.
The plans show the 30 flats would be arranged in five blocks and accessed via a spine road directly from a junction with Gilfach Road.
The site is overgrown and largely reverted to nature in its entirety with the exception of the house and its immediate curtilage, it added.
The application has been re-advertised and no observations or objections have been received, the planning report said.
During the initial consultation, when the application was first submitted, one objection was received from the Tonyrefail Community Council on the basis the site was green belt and its development would lead to potential coalescence of Tonyrefail and Gilfach Goch.
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