TWO Swansea councillors will no longer defend a decision to oppose a major housing development at an appeal hearing but it is because they wish to raise other issues and better represent their constituents.
Cllrs Susan Jones and Dai Jenkins opposed plans for up to 216 homes in their Gowerton ward, off Fairwood Terrace, and the proposal was turned down by the council’s planning committee despite officers recommending approval.
The committee met again to firm up its reason or reasons for refusal and said the scheme would cause extra congestion and periods of queuing outside other people’s homes.
The applicants, Persimmon Homes West Wales and Urban Style Homes, appealed and Cllrs Jones and Jenkins agreed to defend the refusal when the matter was heard by a Welsh Government-appointed planning inspector from Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW).
There have been nearly 600 submissions from people locally to PEDW as well as dozens of statements from the main groups involved – and now a member of the planning committee, Cllr Peter Black, will defend the traffic refusal decision at the hearing.
Speaking at a planning committee meeting last week an officer said: “What has become apparent during the appeal process is that the ward members (Cllrs Jones and Jenkins) are unable to reflect their constituents’ views.
“They can only defend the decision of the council, they can’t introduce additional reasons and, I think, from the correspondence I have seen and discussions with the ward members they do want to raise issues which they would be entitled to do as ward members but not as the local planning authority.”
A report before the committee said if they introduced other issues in their defence of the decision it would expose the council to potential extra costs.
Committee members agreed to release Cllrs Jones and Jenkins from this role and Cllr Black was nominated in their place. He will get some support from planning officers.
Persimmon Homes West Wales and Urban Style Homes will argue at the appeal there is an “overwhelming case”, according to their main submission, for the outline application to be allowed as it complied with the council’s local development plan and would provide much-needed housing, among other things. An appeal for costs has also been submitted.
