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The Planning Committee considered an application for eight houses with integrated garages on Plot 1 at Maes Berea, Bangor. The Committee approved it, subject to changing the existing Section 106 agreement (a legal agreement that binds the developer to certain obligations) so that two of the homes are affordable, and subject to a list of planning conditions. The Committee also asked officers to write again to Bangor City Council, which had not responded to the application.
Apologies were received from Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn and Councillor Gareth Tudor Jones.
None to note
None to note
The Chair accepted the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 28 September 2026 as a true record.
The Committee considered the following applications for development. Details of the applications were expanded upon and questions were answered in relation to the plans and policy aspects.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: To approve subject to the amendment of the 106 Agreement on the site in response to the new plan and to ensure that two affordable units will be on the site, as well as conditions relating to the following: 1. Time - Five years. 2. In accordance with the plans 3. Agree materials 4. Restrict the use class to C3 residential dwellings only. 5. Restrict the construction hours. 6. A contaminated land desk study must be submitted 7. Biodiversity enhancement measures must be submitted and agreed. 8. A Landscaping Plan must be submitted and agreed. 9. Highways Conditions 10. Removal of permitted development rights from the affordable units 11. Must have a Welsh name for the development 12. C3 use only Notes: · Welsh Water, · Sustainable Drainage · Public footpath · Request for the Assistant Head of Department to contact Bangor City Council again to encourage them to respond to planning applications
Provision of eight dwellings with integrated garages at Maes Berea. The Senior Planning Officer highlighted that it was a full application for the erection of eight houses (although there was planning history for nine houses on the site). It was explained that the site was within the development boundary of Bangor, which was a Sub-Regional Centre under Policy TAI 1, and that the principle of housing development on the site had already been established through prior consent for nine houses, with the current application proposing only eight houses, resulting in a less intensive development. The proposal was considered to be in compliance with Policy TAI 8 as there was a local demand for three-bedroom houses along with a condition to ensure Class C3 permanent residential use only to protect the local housing stock. From a design and visibility perspective, the layout of the houses was reported to be consistent with the previously approved plan and reflected the character and appearance of adjacent properties in the Maes Berea estate. It was therefore considered that the development complied with the requirements of policies PCYFF 3 and PCYFF 4. It was not considered that the development would have an unacceptable impact on neighbours' amenities or the amenities of the area in general and that the impacts of building and contaminated land issues could be managed through appropriate planning conditions. In relation to biodiversity issues, it was highlighted that the Biodiversity Unit had raised concerns about a lack of firm commitment to biodiversity improvement measures, but it was considered that this could be addressed by imposing a condition requiring a biodiversity improvement plan prior to the start of development. The Transportation Unit had no objection to the proposal, and the access and parking arrangements were considered acceptable and in compliance with Policies TRA 2 and TRA 4. In relation to flooding issues, it was noted that although small parts of the site's periphery were within Flood Zones 2 and 3, the houses themselves would not be located within these zones. It was reiterated that a Flood Consequence Assessment had been submitted with the application and that the Lead Local Flood Authority was satisfied with the level of risk. There was no objection to the application in terms of drainage. From a Welsh language perspective, it was reported that although the Language Unit noted a lack of detail in the Language Statement, it was not considered that the revised scheme was likely to have a more detrimental effect than the nine-house scheme that had already been granted. In terms of Affordable Housing, it was explained that the proposal provided two affordable units, which was 25% of the total units, exceeding the Policy TAI 15 requirement of 20%. It was reiterated that there was clear evidence of the local need for affordable housing in the area. The Planning Officers recommended that the application be granted subject to the amendment of the existing Agreement 106 to secure the provision of two affordable units on the site, together with the imposition of relevant planning conditions. a) The Local Member was unable to attend the meeting but had expressed in an e-mail that he fully supported the application. b) It was proposed and seconded to approve the application ch) In response to a question about the 106 agreement and whether it applied to all the houses or only the two affordable ones, it was confirmed that the 106 agreement only applied to the two affordable homes. Disappointment was once again expressed that Bangor City Council (BCC) had not responded to the planning application. The Assistant Head of Department highlighted that he had contacted BCC following a previous request from the Committee highlighting Members' comments about the lack of response and offering them support and advice from officers but did not receive a response. It was suggested that the Assistant Head of Department should write again to BCC in the hope that they would respond and put arrangements in place. The Chair reiterated that his wish would be for a response to a second letter from the Assistant Head of Department, otherwise the Committee would have to consider what the Councillors could do to seek future responses. In response to a question as to why it had taken a year for the above application to be discussed; that the Member was receiving complaints about having to wait a long time to receive a response to planning applications; and whether the delay was caused by staffing issues or problems with individual applications, the Assistant Head of Department noted that the delay of the above-mentioned application was caused by flooding issues submitted late in the day and that this had resulted in the need for more time to assess the situation. He reiterated that there was staff turnover within the Planning Service – the Service was going through a period of change, but there were plans in place to address this. RESOLVED: To approve subject to the amendment of the 106 Agreement on the site in response to the new plan and to ensure that two affordable units will be on the site, as well as conditions relating to the following: 1. Time - Five years. 2. In accordance with the plans 3. Agree materials 4. Restrict the use class to C3 residential dwellings only. 5. Restrict the construction hours. 6. A contaminated land desk study must be submitted 7. Biodiversity enhancement measures must be submitted and agreed. 8. A Landscaping Plan must be submitted and agreed. 9. Highways Conditions 10. Removal of permitted development rights from the affordable units 11. Must have a Welsh name for the development 12. C3 use only Notes: · Welsh Water, · Sustainable Drainage · Public footpath · Request for the Assistant Head of Department to contact Bangor City Council again to encourage them to respond to planning applications
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