Cyngof Tref Y Trallwng Town Council Y Porth i Gymru | The Gateway to

Committee members Cllr A Davies (Chair), Cllr S Kaye (Deputy Chair), Cllr J Arnold, Cllr L Bailey, Cllr R Church, Cllr M Douglass, Cllr N Morris, Cllr C Robinson, Cllr D Senior and Cllr F Veenstra. Committee remit Responsible for Planning applications (full authority), Local Development Plan, Town Plan, Highways, Transport, Cambrian Rail, Bus services, Canal re-opening and Planning consultations Committee authority The Committee has delegated authority to deal with all matters except those of a controversial or substantial matter which are to be referred to Full Council (where statutory time permits)

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

MINUTES

of meeting held on Wednesday 24th July 2019 at 6pm in the Assembly Room of the Town Hall

1. Record of attendance Present were Cllr A Davies (Chair), Cllr S Kaye (Deputy Chair), Cllr J Arnold, Cllr L Bailey, Cllr R Church, Cllr M Douglass, and Cllr D Senior. In attendance: Cllr E Bleivas, Cllr H Evans, Cllr F Veenstra, Cllr Robert Robinson Town Clerk and Kimberly Davies. Also in attendance Cllr P Pritchard (as an observer only) and Cllr G Breeze. Apologies received Cllr C Robinson and Cllr N Morris.

2. Declarations of interest There were no recorded declarations of interest.

3. Planning application: The Committee considered the following planning application:

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3.1 Re 19/0938/FUL Frochas Farm Frochas Welshpool The erection of a broiler installation with silo, formation of a vehicular access and associated works. See appendix A to the agenda for details and plans:

3.2 Publication The Committee noted that the application had been published by the County Council on its Web Site and that the Town Council had been made aware of the application by the County Council. The Town Council placed the information on its own Web Site, on social media and on My Welshpool giving the time and place when the meeting was to take place to discuss the application.

3.3 Procedure for the meeting The Town Clerk outlined the procedure for the meeting held as follows:

i) The Town Clerk will give a presentation on the application. ii) The public will be given the chance to speak to the application. iii) The applicant will be given the chance to speak to the application. iv) The Councillors will debate and reach a view on their response to the consultation. v) The Minutes of the meeting will be posted later this evening. vi) County Council will be informed of the decision of the meeting along with a list of comments made by the public and applicant. vii) The copies of emails will also be sent to . viii) The Town Clerk will record the public comments whether they are in agreement with the Council or not.

The Town Councillors accepted that their prime responsibility is to represent the constituents when considering the application (but taking into account any LDP or Town Council Policies in either of those plans).

3.4 Presentation of the application by the Town Clerk The presentation was completed (as per that attached to the Minutes at appendix A).

It was noted that the applicant had submitted the following with the application to mitigate against some of the concerns raised:

i) Manure management ii) Noise assessment iii) Sustainable drainage plan iv) Odour report

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3.5 Pre-application The Committee noted the Pre-application consultation with the response from the Town Council being as follows:

a) Concern over the impact the development might have on the landscape and local environment and there needs to be evidence of how this can be mitigated.

b) Concern over health and environmental issues and would suggest that evidence of how these issues can be overcome needs to be part of any planning application.

c) Concern over the increase in traffic movements – an impact assessment on traffic issues needs to be produced.

d) A footpath diversion order will be required.

e) Concern over the views from Llanerchyddol Hall and Llanerchyddol Park towards development – a mitigation report to address these issues will be required to demonstrate the effect and its acceptability.

f) Concern over the water table and how the development might affect this – a study into this is needed to give confidence that the scheme will work.

g) Concern about the effect on plant life – an ecology report will be needed to show how such plant life will be protected.

h) Concern over the impact on the Dingle Nursery – an impact assessment will be needed to ascertain how much any effect might be.

i) Concern over how manure will be disposed of taking into account smells (when it is put on the land) and how it will be disposed of when the land is ‘full’).

The response in the Applicants pre-consultation report to the above is as follows:

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3.5 Public views There were approx. 70 members of the public present.

Objections to the scheme The views expressed by the public against the development included:

1) Concerns about transport level of lorries to the site along a narrow lane which already had lorries serving the Dingle Nursery. 2) Concerns about the effect on the Dingle Nursery and its business. 3) Concerns about smells from manure and the smell of ammonia. 4) Concerns about disease and in particular phosphate, ammonia, dust, airborne bacteria, pests and vermin etc. This could have an adverse effect on children, elderly and those with respiratory issues. 5) Concerns that the views over the historic Llanerchydol Hall (Grade II *) and gardens would be affected. 6) Concerns of the environmental impact on the area surrounding the site. 7) Concerns over the attraction of substantial numbers of flies created by the presence of chickens. 8) Concerns over the effect of contamination to the water table. 9) The site effects will be felt by the whole town which has most homes within 1 mile of the site and only ½ mile from such sites as the hospital. This may also have an effect on tourism in the area if smells persist, particularly on hot weather days. 10) The site is an overdevelopment, is out of scale and does not fit in with the rural environment as well as being clearly visible from a fair distance away. 11) The scale of the proposed scheme was cited by many present. 12) The footpath of Glyndwr’s Way is very close to the site which is an ancient route used by many tourist and local people alike.

Support for the scheme There was also the contrary view expressed supporting the application and need for the provision of food including (in particular) chickens as the Country is not self- sufficient. With Brexit approaching its conclusion this may have an effect on the chicken production. The processing takes place approx. 30 miles away in Wrexham so gives the population home grown food.

Emails There were also some emails received by the Town Clerk which will be passed to Powys County Council as part of this section of the minutes. The general content, not covered in the meeting by the public, was passed onto the meeting.

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3.6 Applicant views The applicant was asked for their views on the application with the following of note:

1) The applicant has issued reports showing how mitigation will take place to meet many of the objections as reguards the environment and contamination. 2) The transport report shows that the lorries will have little effect on the community and will be able to cope with the existing road network without undue difficulty. 3) There were several items raised where the site does not require an assessment. 4) The applicant offered the Town Council a site visit. This was not taken up as Powys County Council will no doubt make such a visit and timescales do not permit a visit.

3.7 Town Council debate The Town Councillors (Members of the Planning and Development Committee) debated the application with the main points of note being:

1) Climate change was cited as an issue although not directly a planning matter. 2) The Committee understood the need for farmers to diversify, however this was not an appropriate site for such a scheme. 3) Although residents do not have the right to a view there is an issue with the effect of such a large development on the landscape. 4) The Committee did not feel the objections put forward at pre-application stage had been met to the Town Councils satisfaction. The Councillors acknowledged that many documents were technical and that they were not all aware of their contents. 5) The Committee raised several times the scale of the development proposed. 6) The Council acknowledged the public concerns and agreed with them.

3.8 Response to Powys County Council consultation The Town Council STRONGLY OBJECTS to this application on the following grounds:

a) The proposal is for a Chicken Broiler Unit just above Welshpool and will have an adverse effect on the environment of the Town which is only a short distance away. The main issue relates to the environment and flies which are known to be an issue with such developments.

b) Tourism is a major part of the Town’s economy and any development which affects or many effect this status is not acceptable, in particular relation to the environmental impact noted above.

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c) The Town Council is not convinced that the mitigation measures set out with the application meet the objections put forward at the pre-application stage. d) Concern over the impact the development might have on the landscape and local environment. There is no clear evidence how this might be reduced by the mitigation measures put forward. e) Concern over health and environmental issues. It is important that evidence of how these issues can be overcome needs to be part of any planning application. The reports issued to date do not, in the Council’s view, offer a workable solution. f) Concern over the increase in traffic movements of Lorries on a narrow road which already has lorry traffic. The Committee was not convinced that the HGV Lorries could avoid the Town Centre as there is no way from the west or east to get around it without going via villages. g) The Local Authority needs to complete an assessment on transport to ascertain the different vehicle movements to see and measure what increase in traffic there is in each category. h) Concerns over the effect on the existing Dingle Nursery business. i) Concern over the views from Llanerchydol Hall (grade II*) and Llanerchydol Park (other listed buildings such as The Old House) towards development. Llanerchydol Hall is a listed building. j) Concern about the effect on plant life. The ecology report will be needed to show how such plant life will be protected. k) Concern over how manure smells, the attraction of flies and the issue of disease from such a use. Flies in particular have been an issue in such a farm in Llanfair Caereinon. l) Concern over ammonia, air borne disease and the effect on children, elderly and those who have a respiratory illness. m) Concern over smells when the manure it is put on the land and how it will be disposed of when the land is ‘full’.

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n) The site would have an overbearing effect on Glyndwr’s Way – a tourist asset.

o) The Town Council has a Climate Change Policy and this scheme does not fit in with that policy.

The Town Council requests that this application is present to the Full Committee at Powys County Council and not decided at Officer level.

The Town Council also requests, that due to the high interest in this scheme, that the Committee meeting is held within Welshpool and not at Llandrindod Wells County Offices.

The Town Council can make space available in the Town Hall for this purpose.

The Town Council wishes the Town Clerk to speak on their behalf at any Committee Meeting held with regards the approval or refusal of this scheme.

3.9 Voting Welshpool Town Council Planning and Development Committee Members voted to object to the development as outlined above. Votes cast were 8 objecting to the scheme, 0 in favour of the scheme with 0 abstentions.

APPENDIX A

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Presentation slides

Re 19/0938/FUL Frochas Farm Frochas Welshpool

LOCATION PLAN

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SITE LAYOUT PLAN

BUILDING GENERAL LAYOUT

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ELEVATION DRAWINGS

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TRAFFIC ROUTE PLAN

ACCESS TO SITE DRAWING

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EXTERNAL LIGHTING PLAN

LANDSCAPING PLAN

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SCENIC PLANS

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