Councillor’s holiday let plans go before colleagues

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans submitted by a county councillor for holiday accommodation to be created from a partial barn conversion in the very northern tip of the county will be decided by his colleagues on Thursday.

Cllr Bryn Davies wants to convert the second floor of an agricultural building at Nant Hirwaun, Moelfre near Llansilin, into a two-bedroom self-catering holiday unit with parking area to the back of the barn. The lower level will continue to be used to keep livestock fodder.

As it is a county councillor applying, it will be decided by Powys County Council’s Planning Committee.

Cllr Davies’ agent, Gerallt Davies of Roger Parry and Partners, said: “The proposed scheme has been specifically designed to be minimal, in that the holiday let will be one floor level of an existing agricultural building.

“The beauty and variety of the Powys countryside creates an attractive area for tourists.

 Tourism is an important element of the rural economy, and it has been estimated that tourism for Wales equates to 7% of Wales’ GDP (Gross Domestic Product).”

Mr Davies added that the proposal complies with both national and local policies relating to tourism and that it should be supported.

Planning officer, Charis Denham, said: “New tourist development is encouraged because of its contribution to the economy in terms of visitor spending, supporting local business and employment generation.

“It is considered that the existing barn is suitable for its intended use as a holiday let, and due to the nature of the proposal, only minor alterations to the existing building’s design and structure would be necessary.

“The building is in generally sound condition and is capable of conversion without major or complete reconstruction.”

Ms Denham added that the council’s environment protection team had been consulted on the proposal and the continued use of the lower floor to keep fodder.

She said that the environmental protection team “have not raised concerns” and the application should be given “conditional consent”.

Conditions include that the barn is only used for holiday accommodation and not as someone’s main home.

Also, the new vehicle access to the site is built before the barn conversion happens.