A BID develop 12 holiday lodges in a Llŷn beauty spot has been thrown out by planners.
Eleven councillors voted to reject the accommodation proposed for grazing land at Y Ffor, near Pwllheli, with only one voting against and one abstention.
The plan involved a change of use of agricultural land for the development of 12 permanent holiday cabins, with associated parking, alterations to access, drainage and landscaping.
The site was on the edge of Llŷn and Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island) Registered Landscape of Outstanding Historic Interest.
The submission came before Cyngor Gwynedd’s planning committee on Monday, September 29.
The application was made by D P Jones, of Llanfrothen, Penrhyndeudraeth, through agent Jonathan Moore Lambe, of Lambe Planning & Design Ltd.
It was requested as a diversification project by a Welsh farming family, with the applicants residing at a farm at Llanfrothen, Penrhyndeudraeth plans said.
This had been prompted, it stated, due to the “historic long term decline in agricultural income and a clear need to diversify” and aimed to provide “high quality” tourist accommodation.
Mr Lambe told the meeting it was “a small scale development, for 12 environmentally friendly, coloured timbered lodges in a heavily landscaped setting.
But planning officers had recommended refusal on grounds including the proposed site and associated works, due to the number of units, its setting, design, sitting and appearance in the landscape, its scale, lack of information over drainage, lack of Welsh language consideration, and insufficient information including a geophysical survey.
Mr Lambe told the meeting a landscape visual impact assessment had concluded that “the development would have no material intrusion into the distinctive patterns of lowland farmland or cultural character of the area”.
Geophysical and percolation tests had been done in the past two weeks, which had “established nothing that looked prehistoric, settlement, industrial or funery related” he said.
But “of significant relevance” to the proposal, he said, was that “another scheme for 35 units by a local resident was approved last November at Pwllheli”.
However, a raft of objections had come in from the public and the local community council.
These had included over-development, worries over the busy road, an “increase of noise, traffic and activity on the site and the A499 Junction (Pwllheli to Y Ffôr) being considered “dangerous” and impact on existing holiday sites, and setting a precedent for similar developments.
It was also felt the scheme could “disrupt” local amenities, landscape and economy and there worries about surface water.
Abererch Cllr Richard Glyn Roberts said he wanted to emphasise the “large number” of objections from local residents, and that community council was against it “unanimously”.
“There are concerns about over development in this area, and the effect of this type of development on existing businesses that already operate in this area”.
He added there were already “already several bricks and mortar holiday lets who were not able to expand”.
