This meeting will include reports on a retrospective application for the change of use of land at Blue Boar, Talywain, Pontypool for use as a caravan site, and an application for house extensions in Llanyrafon. The committee will also consider whether to approve the minutes of their previous meeting on the 20th November 2024.

Proposed transit caravan site at Blue Boar, Talywain

The report pack contains a planning application for the change of use of land at Blue Boar in Talywain to be used as a two-pitch transit caravan site for the Gypsy and Traveller community.

The application site is located to the rear of Bluebell Bungalow, a property on Church Road. The site measures approximately 325m² and was formerly part of a garden. It has been the subject of an enforcement investigation relating to the unauthorised siting of between four and six caravans since October 2023.

The applicant, Mr Tony Janes, is seeking retrospective planning permission for two caravans on a smaller area of the site than was originally used.

The application is controversial, and the report pack contains 52 representations objecting to the proposal.

The majority of the objections relate to the suitability of the location and its impact on the surrounding community. The objectors argue that the site is too small, that it would result in a loss of privacy and amenity for neighbouring properties, and that it would increase traffic and noise in the area. They also expressed concern about the impact on local property prices, and that the site could become a magnet for crime and anti-social behaviour.

All three local ward councillors objected to the proposal. They argued that the site is in the wrong location and that it would restrict existing residents from accessing their properties. They also expressed concern about the potential for the site to become a permanent fixture, and about the Council’s ability to enforce planning conditions.

However, the report notes that the Council has a legal duty to assess the need for Gypsy and Traveller sites in its area, and that the latest Gypsy & Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA), published in July 2024, identifies a need for at least two transit sites in the county borough. The report goes on to argue that:

...just because the current need ‘for transit sites’ may have been met in a specific local authority area, it would be unacceptable not to consider favourably additional sites for such a purpose.

Planning officers concluded that:

...given the national advice... on balance, a transit site is compliant with national policy objectives.

The report recommends that planning permission be granted, subject to a number of conditions. These include:

• A limit on the number of caravans that can be stationed on the site at any one time (two)
• A maximum length of stay of three months in any 12-month period.
• A requirement for a landscaping scheme to be submitted to and approved by the local planning authority.
• A requirement for a management plan to be submitted to and approved by the local planning authority, which includes details of a general information package provided to users of the site on arrival, a complaints procedure for occupiers and residents, details of collection of refuse from the site and a general maintenance schedule for the site.

House extensions in Llanyravon

The report pack contains details of a planning application by Mr Ashley Vowles to extend his house at 3 The Pastures, Llanyravon.

The applicant is seeking permission to construct a first-floor front extension, a pitched roof front dormer, a two-storey pitched roof rear extension and to make alterations to a detached garage.

The local ward member, Councillor Alan Slade, has requested that the application is reported to the committee for determination.

Two objections to the application were received from neighbours in Caernarvon Crescent. They objected to the scale and design of the proposed extensions, arguing that they would be out of character with the area, and would result in a loss of light and privacy for neighbouring properties.

The objections are summarised in the report:

The scale, siting and design of the extensions are unsympathetic and not subservient to the host dwelling and not in keeping with the character of the street scene... The two storey extension, by virtue its dominant form, excessive height, mass and projection along the entire width of the neighbouring garden would adversely impact on outlook and result in overshadowing and potential noise impacts.

In relation to concerns about the size and design of the extensions, the report notes that:

... the proposed design replicates front extensions and dormers which have already been constructed in the street. Most notably the adjoining property to the north (5 The Pastures) has an almost identical front extension and dormer. Likewise, numbers 7, 13 and 15 The Pastures have front extensions constructed in a similar way.

The report concludes that the proposed extensions would not be out of keeping with the character of the area, and would not have an unacceptable impact on the amenities of neighbouring properties. As a result, it recommends that planning permission be granted subject to a number of conditions.

These include:

• The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved plans.
• Details of the specific biodiversity enhancement measures to be provided on site.
• A scheme of landscaping to be submitted to and approved by the local planning authority.
• Samples of the roof tile, render and cladding to be used in the construction of the extensions to be submitted to and approved by the local planning authority.
• No surface water from the development shall be allowed to drain to the public sewerage system.

The report also includes the following informative to the applicant:

This notice does not give authority to destroy or damage a bat roost or disturb a bat. All 16 British bat species are protected under the Conservation of Habitat and Species Regulations 2010. It is a criminal offence to damage or destroy any bat roost, whether occupied or not, or disturb or harm a bat. If you suspect that bats might roost in the tree(s) for which work is planned you should take further advice from the Natural Resources Wales, or an ecological consultant, before you start. If bats are discovered during the work you must stop immediately and contact the Natural Resources Wales for advice before continuing.

The report pack also includes the minutes of the previous meeting of the Planning Committee which was held on the 20th November 2024.