MINUTES OF LLANGWM COMMUNITY COUNCIL

SPECIAL PLANNING MEETING ON MONDAY 2ND APRIL 2019

AT THE PARISH HALL, LLANGWM

COUNCILLORS PRESENT: Cllr Peter Gough (Chair), Cllr Colin Evans, Cllr Bob Trigg, Cllr David Williams and Cllr Gwyn Rowlands,

IN ATTENDANCE: Shirley Hughes, Clerk

APOLOGIES

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Malcolm Hadfield

1. MAIN BUSINESS

TO DISCUSS PLANNING NOTICE DM/2019/00446

It was obvious that this Planning Notice had caused a great deal of anguish by local residents, and as it was by chance that the Clerk had spotted the Notice on the MCC Planning Portal.

The Clerk had spoken to the Planning Officer who informed her that Consultee Letters would not be sent to Llangwm Community Council or near neighbours due to the rules regarding erection of Agricultural Buildings. These can be built without a full Planning Application, due to the holding being over 5 hectares.

1) The applicant has been misleading with the address of the proposed Agricultural Shed, as it is NOT at Oakfield Farm, as that is a separate property and not owned by the applicant. The land is adjacent to Oakfield Farm, and on a recent Planning Application (DM/2018/01902) for a Stable Block on the same piece of land, the address was 'Stable Block, Usk Road, Llangwm'.

2) Access onto the site from the B4235 is very dangerous as it is on a bend and in fact MCC Highways originally objected on the previous planning application.

3) Vast amounts of waste materials have been deposited at the entrance to the site, covering at least 1/4 acre. These consist of old bricks, wood logs, broken up concrete containing rebar mesh, tarmac and a soil heap which are all visible from the B4235.

4) The size of the shed (23mt x 20mt and 7.5 mt high) is incompatible with the size of the parcel of land which is only 5.6 hectares. Why would they require a shed of that size, when the Stable Block is intended for the horses and feed?

5) The roller shutter doors (that are intended for the agricultural shed) are more suited to a garage or an industrial unit, and Councillors felt that this building would be used for business, and that the application was misleading.

6) Rapid run-off from the roof and the 20mt x 20mt concrete pad will result in water draining down into the Nant y March brook, and will contribute to a flood risk in the village of Llangwm, which already is a problem. If the concrete pad is used for washing off plant machinery, fuel and oil will seep into the watercourse.

7) The shed will be highly visible to the properties on the other side of the valley. There are at least 10 properties which will be affected, 2 of which run tourism accommodation, and this shed will be a blight on the landscape of a beautiful rural valley.

8) Public Footpath 365/17/2 skirts this site, and is used by many walkers who come to view the rich biodiversity of the local area, including the rare Orchids.

9) An environmental assessment should be done on the site

10) A great deal of soil would need to be dug out due to the slope of the field

AGREED - that the Clerk writes to the Planning Department to make a clear case for this Agricultural Shed not to be built.

Meeting closed 8.25pm