PLANNERS have given permission for a house in a former garden where plans for a new home were first approved in 1990.
The introduction of the 20 mile per hour speed limit in Wales also helped overcome objections council highways officials made when the latest application was submitted in 2018.
Previous permissions for the now overgrown patch of grassy land, in what was the garden of Roman Ride in Caerleon Road, Llanfrechfa, Cwmbran, had been renewed or amended eight times, and plans for a single storey home were most recently approved in 2016.
In 2018 the latest application for full planning permission for the site was submitted by Gareth Edmunds which is when the highway officers objected.
Five neighbours also objected with concerns at a loss of privacy and the height of the building and that it would be overbearing.
Torfaen Borough Council officers said the area is within the development boundary and most objections were to the original plans for a larger, two-storey house with upper floor windows on all elevations, a higher ground level and larger rear terrace.
The revised plans, which have been approved, are for a detached home with a T-shaped footprint with only the first floor in the front projection occupied.
A report by the planning department said the proposal had been redesigned to address the concerns but some neighbours still maintained their objections.
A garage originally included in the plans was also dropped and the property will be able to accommodate parking spaces for three vehicles.
The report said the new lower speed limit on Caerleon Road meant the visibility distances for drivers exiting the property could be achieved: “The highways officer previously raised concerns regarding the proposed access, specifically the visibility splay on Caerleon Road. However, the speed limit on Caerleon Road has since dropped from 30mph to 20mph, which has lowered the visibility requirements.”
The site, most of which is at a lower level than Caerleon Road, was part of the garden of ‘Roman Ride’ but is now separated from it by a wooden fence, and since been sold separately.
