Affordable homes approved by council planners despite opposition
Plans for 24 affordable homes to be built in Four Crosses near Llanymynech, have been approved by Powys County Council planners.
Registered social landlord, Barcud Housing Association had lodged a reserved matters planning application with the council.
They want to build a mix of eight one-bed terraced dwellings, six two-bed terraced units, two two-bedroom link-detached bungalows, four three-bedroom semi-detached houses and four four-bedroom semi-detached dwellings at field next to The Street, 200 metres west of Oldfield farm.
The application site is agricultural grazing land along the northern edge of the settlement development boundary of Four Crosses.
An outline planning application was approved by Powys council’s Planning committee in May 2019.
This had settled the question of whether the field could be built upon, but councillors at the meeting in 2019 had questioned whether the need was for two or three bedroom houses in the area rather than one bedroom flats.
Planning officer, Kate Bowen said: “This application relates to the reserved matters of access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale for the approved development.
“The principle of the development, including the location outside the development boundary and density was accepted at the outline stage.
“Consideration of the impact upon local services was also undertaken at the outline stage.
“The mix of single storey and two storey heights as well as the size of dwellings is considered to reflect the mix of dwellings in the settlement."
Mrs Bowen adds that the development reflects the “proven local need” on the council’s housing register.
The register shows that only nine households that are in need of housing have Four Crosses down as their first choice to live in, with two of these in need of one bedroom accommodation.
The register also shows that 133 households in need of housing have Four Crosses noted as a “preferred option.
Of these households, 31 want one bedroom and 59 two bedroom accommodation.
Due to this Mrs Bowen approved the scheme and gave it “conditional consent.”
The application had been objected to by Llandysilio community council on several grounds.
These included poor design and layout, that the red tiles to be used on the roofs are “out of keeping” with the character of the area.
Llandysilio council said: “No details have been submitted of the mechanism that will be in place to ensure the properties remain affordable in perpetuity.
“In other developments in the village we have seen applications to successfully remove the affordable planning obligation.”
They said they want a “robust mechanism” put in place to stop this.
