Local residents have objected to plans for a development of 30 new homes at Pen y Ffridd in Bangor.

 

 

Plans have been submitted for the residential development – 24 semi-detached houses and 6 terraced houses – together with parking, access and footpaths off Pen y Ffridd Road in Penrhosgarnedd. The site is a former Bangor University agricultural facility which is now redundant and has since overgrown.

A previous planning application at Pen y Ffridd for a residential development of 366 dwellings, was proposed by Morbaine Ltd in July 2013. The application was subsequently refused on appeal, mainly due to fears over its impact on the Welsh language.

The new proposal would provide homes suitable for 4-5 people, with 12 affordable units and the remaining 18 being open market units. This provides 40% of the units as affordable units, which exceeds the requirements of the local planning policy.

Petition

A petition signed by 74 local residents is now urging Gwynedd Council to turn down the proposals due to concerns over access and the increase in traffic the development would cause.

The residents also expressed concerns about parking, drainage problems on the development site, a potential negative effect on the environment, a detrimental effect on the Welsh language and the availability of local school places.

Affordable Housing

According to the developers, Adra, the proposed scheme would provide quality housing on the outskirts of Bangor, including a mix of affordable housing for local people.

Planning documents concluded that the development would have “beneficial effects” on the Welsh language and the community through the provision of affordable housing and open market housing “to meet an identified need.”

The response from the applicant also said: “The access and parking provision has been addressed by the Transport Statement which confirms that the existing Pen y Ffridd road can accommodate the proposed development” and that “Available school places will be discussed with the planning officers in combination with the council’s Education department during the course of the application.”

Bangor City Council have responded to the application and advised that there were no issues in principle with the development, although they expressed some concern about access to the site which was limited and sometimes congested.

The planning application follows a public consultation held in October 2019. To see the full planning details click here: C19/1072/11/LL