A YOUNG farmer was granted permission to demolish a derelict cottage and replace the building with an agricultural workers’ dwelling, with councillors stating such planning applications were vital to the survival of rural communities.
The application was discussed at a Conwy Council planning committee meeting, with councillors voting in favour of granting the application at Fron Felen Fawr, Waen Tywysog Road, Henllan, Llansannan.
Several members of the committee praised the applicant, Gethin Williams, for speaking “passionately” about farming, insisting such applications were “key” to help preserve rural communities and the Welsh language.
Planning officers advised the committee to approve the application if Mr Williams’ parents transferred the farm’s management to him within three months as part of a partnership.
Speaking at the meeting at Bodlondeb, Mr Williams, 22, said he had travelled to New Zealand after completing agricultural college to learn farming techniques, including sheep shearing, and now wanted to remain at the farm to work with his parents.
“I’m here to ask for your support as a young farmer,” he said.
“I’d like to follow in the footsteps of my father farming.
“The farm has been passed over from one generation to another, and I’d love to carry on farming to the next generation.
“The reason I’m here today is, in the opinion of the officers, I haven’t showed enough evidence that I’m part of the farm even though I farm every day.”
He added: “We are now part of a new partnership. I think agriculture is facing enough challenges as it is. My parents are a massive part of the business.”
Cllr Trystan Lewis added: “I think the key word here is continuation.
“The mother and father are retiring after working for years, and the son and the family are taking over, and I think that’s the backbone of a rural community.
“If we didn’t have agriculture, we wouldn’t have the countryside. We wouldn’t have the Welsh culture that is so key.”
Cllr Lewis proposed councillors backed the application.
Cllr Ifor Lloyd seconded the proposal and added: “I think it’s a natural thing for a young lad to want to live in the countryside where his family have been for years, so I would naturally like to second this application.”
The family plan to erect “a rural enterprise dwelling” in place of the derelict cottage.
The new building will be a rectangular single storey home with a gabled slate roof and walls finished with stone cladding and off-white coloured render.
The accommodation will include a kitchen, dining room, living room, utility room, three bedrooms, and a bathroom, with a new car parking and turning area.
