Building plan for 20 apartments

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

A building that was once expected to become a care home in Llandrinio could now become a block of flats.

On Thursday, Powys County Council’s planning committee will decide an application by Charanjit Singh to convert Unity House into 15 one-bedroom apartments, two two-bedroom apartments and three studio apartments. Parking spaces would also be created for 27 vehicles.

The application is in front of councillors after being “called in” by local councillor Lucy Roberts who said she had “major concerns with this application”.

“The size of this development is completely inappropriate to the location on the edge of the village,” she said. “The access to the site has very poor visibility and also floods.”

She added that the parking provision proposed is “inadequate”.

Llandrinio Community Council have also objected to the proposal on size and scale and have indicated that they want a representative to speak on their behalf at the meeting.

The building was last used as a bed and breakfast around 15 years ago, and in 2008 planning permission was given to convert Unity House into a care home that could accommodate 44 people.

This planning permission is still in existence although it was never implemented.

Agents, The Planning Group Limited said: “Regeneration of the site will provide an economic boost to the area as local economic and social amenities are used by new residents.

“Unity House provides a unique opportunity to provide smaller dwellings to satisfy local need for one/two bedroomed apartments as Powys has identified.”

Powys principal planning officer, Gemma Bufton, said: “Concerns have been raised through public representations that there is no need for the development. A total of 213 applicants are currently on the common housing register for Llandrinio and surrounding settlements.

“There is overwhelming need is for smaller one- and two-bedroom properties. It is therefore considered that there is a recognised need for the development and the units proposed on this site will contribute to meeting that recognised wider need.”

Ms Bufton recommends conditional consent with one of the 13 conditions being that the applicants will have to provide a plan to show that affordable housing provision will be part of the development.