Council tweaks plans for 24 village houses

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

Councillors will be asked to approve tweaks to the planning permission of 24 of 48 new homes earmarked for Llandrinio.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Planning, Taxi Licensing and Right of Way committee this Wednesday, councillors will be told of the need to “vary” conditions placed on planning permission given to the council itself to develop 48 homes on land at Trawscoed and Orchard Croft in Llandrinio.

The council were given planning permission back in April 2022 for 48 homes to be built either side of the B4393 road which goes through the village.

On land beside the Trawscoed housing estate 24 affordable homes would be built.

A further 24 houses, to be sold on the open market, would be built on land next to the Orchard Croft housing estate.

An application to change two conditions attached to the planning permission was lodged with county planners in January by the council’s Affordable Housing Team.

This application is only for the Trawscoed plot opposite the fuel service station in the village.

The Affordable Housing Team want to change condition two.

This is because the condition would mean that the council would need to build house types designed to meet the Welsh Government Development Quality Requirements. But these quality requirements are likely to be superseded by new regulations soon.

If agreed, the condition would be amended to say that the units would be built in “compliance with current standards”.

The documents also explain that the council wants to “amend” some of the house specifications to agree with those that have been “specifically designed for the council”.

The second condition to be changed is condition 32 which means that the council needed to submit and have approved in writing, a scheme which explains the details of the affordable home aspect of the development before building work started.

This would be changed to allow the council to follow the affordable housing scheme that has been submitted as part of this application.

Principal Planning Officer, Lorraine Jenkin, said: “Minor changes are proposed to the siting of some plots at Trawscoed, including adjustments to the footprint of certain dwellings to allow for wider but shallower layouts.

“Additionally, Plot 12 is now proposed as a dormer bungalow with slightly increased proportions.”

She believed that the changes would not have a “material impact” on the amenity or privacy of neighbours and were “acceptable”.

Turning to the condition on affordable housing, Ms Jenkin said: “A scheme has been submitted as part of this application and has been accepted by the Affordable Housing Officer.

“Officers consider the proposal to be in accordance with the Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG), appropriately securing 100% affordable units to be delivered as socially rented homes by a registered social housing provider.”

Due to this she recommends that councillors approve the application.