Twenty-seven eco-homes could be built in Llanwrtyd Wells if planners give the go-ahead next Tuesday, despite widespread opposition to the plan by the town council, local businesspeople and residents.
The houses, which would include 10 affordable homes, would be built on land on the north side of Station Road.
The applicant claims they would be modern and more eco-friendly than normal houses, designed and orientated to maximise solar gain and views across the valley. They would have a large area of glazing on the elevations to capture the most solar power and they would be rendered with a natural slate and a green roof finish.
But local residents and business people have claimed the development will lead to increased traffic, is overdevelopment of the site, the design is out of keeping with the locality and the proposed materials are not appropriate.
Llanwrtyd Wells Town Council has objected to the plans on the grounds of density and design.
Objectors Roger and Katie Smith run Ardwyn House as a successful elegant Art Nouveau style guest house to the west of the proposed development. They say its most popular rooms currently have un-interrupted views of the mountains beyond the site and the proposed development would compromise the privacy of their house and adversely affect the business.
In a letter to planners they said they were looking to expand the business with capital investment as a year-round leisure facility but they would have to review the viability of the business if the eco homes went ahead.
Roger Stephens of the award-winning Lasswade Country House Hotel and Restaurant claims the plan constitutes over-development of the site, and he points out that the housing market is depressed with 27 houses currently for sale in the town and virtually no movement.
He claims some residents have been to another site where the developer is supposed to be working and work there has come to a halt with those who have purchased forced to live on a building site.
He also questions whether the under-pressure gas supply will be able to manage the new homes and says people would have to travel to find work, “blowing a hole” in the environmental policy.
Yvonne Christodoulou owns Llanwrtyd Hall which dates back to 1858 and the proposed development site which became the home of Bromsgrove Junior School in the 1940s, which this year received the Freedom of the Town as recognition for its contribution to the survival of the town during the war.
She claims the development field retains covenants upon the deeds, one of which forbids any building to be erected in front of the house as far as Station Road and another covenant says “no activities can be permitted which cause annoyance or any problem living hereabout”.
But planners say representations in support of the application have been received from consultees and potential users who emphasise the much-needed change in current house building and welcome the break from the norm, the architectural difference, its eco-friendly nature. They also claim it is inspirational and the way we should be building.
Members of Powys County Council’s planning committee will be told at a meeting on Tuesday that outline permission for the development of up to 20 dwellings was granted in 2005 but the current application increased the numbers to 27 dwellings.
Officers will say the site is capable of accommodating the scale of development proposed and they will recommend conditional permission.
