Testun llawn:
Previously, planning has been refused on the grounds ‘Inclusion of the site would result in an illogical extension to the settlement limits’ but due to the recent development of Parc Y Mynydd we believe it would serve as a continuation of housing for the local area.
The following comments aim to support our plea that insufficient planning allocation has been given to new builds in the area and the county as a whole.
1. We have statements from several local estate agents outlining a serious shortage of domestic property for sale. Please see the following John Francis statement.
"There is a huge shortage of properties on the market for sale and to rent. We have a list of buyers struggling to find a home and many of our sales fall through due to our vendors cannot find a property for themselves leading them to withdraw from the chain. As there is a shortage of properties and very little new developments within our area property prices are increasing as the properties on the market are attracting more than one interested party. There is a demand for all types of properties especially properties for first time buyers. There are schemes in place to help first time buyers get on the property ladder and mortgage lenders are offering good deals but unfortunately there is a shortage of stock. Our Land & New Homes area manager is constantly searching for land for new home developers to purchase and develop”.
2. The standalone company set up by Carmarthenshire County Council has bought and continues to purchase new first time buyer housing stock as soon as it reaches the market. This has impacted on the buying opportunity of the first time buyers in the area.
3. There is a lack of small scale development sites or self build plots. This means that small development companies and quality tradespeople, brickies and carpenters in particular, risk being closed out of the new build market. This could lead to a loss of quality tradespeople in the area in the long term.
4. The emphasis on large development sites, some with poor site management and poor design, makes for inferior housing stock in the area for the future. Smaller developers are known for better quality builds with higher quality features whereas the larger developments which are built at speed, often lacking in design features and build quality and exterior aesthetics visibly deteriorate rapidly over time.
5. The emphasis on social housing, where there is often not the demand from local people means that housing associations are parachuting those from far outside the area to occupy the properties. The impact on regional communities has been massive in some instances.
6. The eco houses recently built in the area are not a suitable or in-keeping with the surrounding housing environment and are not built to last. Replacing or adding several small development self-builds will yield high quality housing that will improve the aesthetics and longevity of the county housing market.
We have verbal accounts from a number of professionals and in due course will happily put together a portfolio of evidence to support our comments. We are also happy to speak in appeal. In the meantime, the County Building Regulations department are a wealth of knowledge of the issues involved in the building market in the county and the kind of properties that the county would benefit from. Organisations such as the LABC would also provide invaluable information regarding quality housing, who is building quality saleable properties and where. We believe that there is much scope for improvement of the current LDP to include sites such as ours, to build quality housing for our community.
