PLANS for a Burger King drive-though restaurant in Gowerton have been rejected on appeal.
A planning inspector said the land in question was partly in a flood zone, and that the proposal would therefore need to demonstrate that the location was of key strategic importance. The Welsh-Government appointed inspector, Paul Selby, said he found little to indicate that this was the case.
The applicant, EBM Ltd, sought to build eight industrial units and create a wildflower meadow as well as the drive-through restaurant off Victoria Road, next to Greatest Hits Radio South Wales.
Swansea Council originally turned the application down on flood risk grounds, and EBM Ltd appealed, arguing that the site was currently vacant and made no economic contribution to the area. The company also argued that there were council policies which supported the redevelopment of the plot. It said the proposal “will help deliver much-needed employment opportunities for local residents and an important commercial facility within an established commercial area and a sustainable location”.
Environment body Natural Resources Wales did not object to the proposal, notwithstanding a flood assessment on behalf of EBM Ltd which said parts of the site could flood up to a depth of 30cm during extreme events.
Mr Selby said the development would generate up to 45 full-time jobs but that, while “undoubtedly a positive benefit”, this did not outweigh the conflicts with a Wales-wide flood risk policy, namely that a development such as the one proposed – partly within a flood zone – had to prove it was needed as part of a wider regeneration initiative or to sustain a community.
A previous application for a drive-through restaurant on the site was turned down by the council in 2019.
