HUNDREDS of objections and letters of opposition have failed to stop council planners approving new homes on land in Trethomas.
Critics of the proposed development said the land north of James Street is a much-loved green space, where it was hoped a village green or community orchard could be formalised.
Caerphilly County Borough Council has instead granted outline planning permission for up to eight accessible bungalows on part of the site.
The local authority is also the applicant for the project.
In a design statement, planning agents The Urbanists said the proposed development “compliments the local character of the area and responds sensitively” to the surroundings.
While noting the land is “used as amenity space by the residents”, the agents suggested there is an “opportunity to enhance the quality of the public space for the benefit of the community”.
Designs show this could include “proposed seating within new community space”, the retention of “key trees”, and “improvement of existing grassland areas”.
However, a local campaign against the site’s redevelopment produced a petition with nearly 350 signatures, according to the council, which also received 103 objections against the application.
A local community group has reportedly planted vast amounts of crocuses on the land in recent years.
Residents’ concerns focused on a designation of the site as a local orchard and haven for pollinators, a loss of open space, and claims there was a previous agreement for the land to become a so-called “green wedge”.
But council planning officers rejected the claim that the land was a green wedge, and said the site’s importance to pollinators was “not a material planning consideration”.
According to council planning policies, developments leading to the loss of open space will only be permitted if the remaining space is “adequate to serve local needs”, and if the site has no “significant” recreational or visual value.
In their report, the planning officers argued the quality of other green areas nearby, including Bedwas community park, would mitigate the loss of the land north of James Street.
They accepted the land has “a degree of importance to the local community”, but said the proposed development site “retains a significant part of the existing open space”.
The council planners also judged the proposals for landscaping and new green infrastructure around the new homes would be “acceptable”.
