Bid launched to overturn planning committee’s decision to refuse Caego housing development

An appeal has been lodged after the council’s planning committee rejected plans for a housing development twice.

A majority of councillors voted against the proposals for eight new homes on land next the Ferndale Home and Garden Centre on Berse Road, Caego in May.

Committee members agreed with the council’s chief planning officer that the development should be refused due to its location in the green barrier.

It was the second time that plans for the site have been turned down, with a similar application refused by councillors in September 2018.

The revised plans had been resubmitted to deal with technical matters associated the reasons for refusal – including highway safety and parking provision.

However during May’s meeting, planning officer David Williams said that the development falls within the green barrier and that there had been “no change in circumstances since the decision was made” last year.

Now Blueprint Architectural Services Ltd have submitted an appeal on behalf of the applicants in a bid to overturn the planning committee’s decision.

In the appeal documents Dafydd Edwards, for Blueprint Architectural Services, states that the proposal put forward will “enhance the characteristics of the site, ensuring the development will not detrimentally affect the countryside.

He concludes: “I believe the application is in line with the local authority’s guidance and policies.

“This underused brownfield site is not currently a good use of a resource, used primarily as a car parking area for the existing garden centre.

“The relocation of structures, together with a revised parking layout would be a better use of
land bringing underused sections of the site back into use, without affecting the open countryside to the rear.

“The site is an opportunity to provide an unobtrusive small development within an existing hamlet of structures which are located outside the settlement but on a recognised brownfield site.

“The area of land is associated with a built form of development, does not feature a significant amount of physical buildings, however structures viewed from the street scene do currently appear to be out of character with the vicinity.

“The commercial nature of the structures adjacent to a residential dwellings look forced and are unattractive.

“Development provides opportunity to add an attractive development to the area.

“Significant consideration must be given to the additional housing the proposal provides, utilising a brownfield site with has excellent transport links to the town centre, and villages within the county borough.

“I therefore respectfully request the planning inspector to consider the information which was previously present to the planning department and allow outline planning permission for the principle of development on this area of land.”

The appeal will be considered by the planning inspectorate at a later date.