Locals call for government intervention to block affordable homes scheme

Bruce Sinclair, local democracy reporter

Objectors to a scheme for 30 affordable homes on a seaside town car park are to ask for it to be ‘called in’ for consideration by the Welsh Government, saying the loss of parking spaces is an “existential threat” to the local economy.

Housing association Barcud is seeking permission from Ceredigion County Council for the 100 per cent affordable scheme at Central Car Park, Towyn Road, New Quay, following an earlier pre-application consultation.

The application was recommended for conditional approval at the March meeting of the council’s development management committee, having been deferred from the February meeting for a site visit.

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Pay and display

The site currently operates as a pay and display car park, owned and managed by Barcud as a commercial enterprise, which it says it could cease at any time.

The proposal includes keeping 91 of the parking spaces at the site, which council officers say could be secured “in perpetuity” if the scheme is approved.

New Quay Town Council has objected to the proposals, raising concerns including the loss of parking spaces and its impact on the tourism industry, a lack of public transport in the town to cater for additional residents, and also questions the demand for one-bed units in the town, and 29 objections raised similar issues.

Following the site visit, the application returned to the March 12 committee, with local member Cllr Matthew Vaux addressing the meeting on the application for the first time, after gaining a dispensation to speak.

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'Procedural irregularities'

He told the committee the New Quay Traders Association had “submitted a number of significant documents” in which they “raised real concerns as to procedural irregularities”.

He said Sara Powell, a practising barrister representing the group, had been denied the opportunity to speak, and there was a “significant impact” in losing a major car park, with its loss “a material planning consideration”.

Cllr Vaux told members for a town where “tourism is the economic lifeblood,” to “fail to consider the reduction of parking is indefensible,” adding the “negative effects are profound for locals and traders”.

“The last thing the town wants is to gain a reputation as an inconvenient place to park.”

He also said there were “inconsistencies” in the stated demand for certain types of housing, along with limited public transport.

Officers told members they didn’t consider there were “any substantive new points” raised by the objectors’ recent “11th hour” submissions, leading Cllr Gareth Lloyd to propose the application be deferred once again to consider the new information, backed by Cllr Rhodri Evans, who said: “It’s not ideal, but we do need to have all the information in front of us.”

After lunch-break discussions on the matter, Head of planning Russell Hughes-Pickering said that officers considered a deferral possible for two reasons: “Whether the applicant can provide more information of economic impact and second you may want to defer to give the applicant a right to respond.”

Economic impact

Following Cllr Lloyd’s proposal, members agreed to defer the application, the scheme likely to return to the April committee meeting.

Commenting after the meeting, Sara Powell, representing the New Quay Traders Association has disputed documents were submitted at “the 11th hour,” instead saying they only learned of both the hearing date and the local member being allowed to speak days before.

She said the council had “failed to properly assess the economic impact of this development,” with no parking impact assessment or economic assessment, the responsibility for the latter placed on Barcud, and objectors have “no confidence that this assessment will be independent or impartial”.

“For these reasons, we will be formally requesting that this application is called in for independent review by Welsh Government.

“The loss of this car park poses an existential threat to New Quay’s economy, and CCC’s handling of the matter so far has only increased public distrust in the integrity of the process.”