A developer has been given the go-ahead to build 45 homes on a green site near Oakdale, despite the plans being unanimously rejected by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s planning committee earlier this year.
Rectory Homes appealed the decision to refuse planning permission, and will build on land at Woodfield Park, in Penmaen, near Oakdale, after a report by the Welsh Government Planning Inspectorate ruled in the developer’s favour, citing “very exceptional circumstances”.
At a meeting of the council’s planning committee on Wednesday, March 8, members defied a planning officer’s recommendation to grant permission and rejected proposals on the basis that the site is designated as a site of importance for nature conservation (SINC), is a Green Wedge, and is outside the settlement boundary in the council’s adopted Local Development Plan (LDP), meaning the land is not allocated for residential use.
However, the planning inspector, Richard Jenkins, ruled that the council’s two-year land supply – some way short of the five-year target – and a “lack of evidence to indicate that such a shortfall is likely to be addressed” qualified as exceptional circumstances, while conceding it was “inevitable that the proposed residential development would cause material harm to the Green Wedge by failing to maintain its openness.”
Cllr Roy Saralis, who represents the Penmaen ward, campaigned against the development and spoke of his disappointment.
He said: “The planning inspector has gone against all policies which were put in place to protect the land.
“We cannot control the size of our communities, and we’re at the beck and call of the developers. They do what they want.
“Everything seems to be lost. Let’s not pretend we have any control when it comes to planning.
“The inspector refers to the land supply but the developer has been given five years to begin building, so how urgent is it really?
“I share the residents’ extreme disappointment that their views weren’t listened to.”
No surprise here, the Welsh Assembly will wreck Wales. Building houses on green spaces when there are next to no jobs in the area is madness. It adds to road congestion, impacts negatively on the quality of life for those who already live here and destroys wildlife habitat.
As you say Its crazy to build all these new housing estates in an already over urbanised area particularly with little or no employment opportunities in the Valleys – but then it doesn’t affect Carwyn and his crew so they’re not bothered that our infrastructure is placed under such pressures.
Oakdale cannot cope now in the schools or the NHS. They are building on every available piece of land and the houses directly behind oakdale garage are crammed together. No parks for the children aswell. Disgusting!
Feel free to complain to :
Richard Jenkins
Plans and Policy Manager
Crown Buildings
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Ffôn/tel: 029 2082 3866
e-bost/e-mail: wales@pins.gsi.gov.uk
Clearly Caerphilly County Borough Council’s planning committee don’t have a clue what they are doing, and having sat through some of their frankly pathetic deliberations it’s no surprise that this and other planning application rejections are over turned by Welsh Government, and now the taxpayers of Caerphilly will have to pay for the appeal as Caerphilly Council have lost.
All those who are whining and moaning about it – do something and vote for a different political party next time, or move out of Caerphilly as it’s becoming nothing more than a housing estate for those who work in Cardiff…..and when the Severn bridge tolls are removed Caerphilly will be an even more appealing place to build with all those Bristol commuters looking for affordable housing.