Anglesey - Island of Opportunity?

Parc Cybi - WAG housing proposal to be scrapped?

Good news travels fast in Anglesey and the latest word on the street seems to suggest our friends, the men in grey suits at WAG are flip flopping again.

No prizes for guessing, however the word is that WAG is to withdraw it's planning application ( on Anglesey Aluminium's land ) for 200 houses at Parc Cybi in what appears to be another humiliating climbdown.

Questions now need to be raised regarding the following:

1. What has been the financial cost of the withdrawn planning application?

2. What deal terms were brokered between WAG and Anglesey Aluminium?

3. If WAG are seeing to attract a prison to Parc Cybi , where will the existing permission for B1/B2/B8 and manufacturing uses be relocated?

Parc Cybi - Strategic Mixed Use Development Site or Strategic Mess?

Readers will by now have grasped that Parc Cybi in Holyhead is fast becoming the butt of jokes because WAG do not seem to be able to get anything right.

First there is the overspend in consultancy fees in bringing the site forward over a long time period a general abuse of taxpayers funds. Then there is the attempt to obtain housing on part (200 units) where The UDP inspector said "only employment was appropriate." Then there is the inability to get the network power upgrades via Scottish Power the local electricity provider. The inability to plan a semi-orbital road to the Marina side of Holyhead. The word "strategic" should be used advisedly by WAG because there does not seem to be any strategy whatsoever. How can there be a strategy to acquire land, obtain permission for B1/B2/B8 uses, build infrastructure and sit back to await those office, industrial, manufacturing, warehouse distribution uses .....only then to "u-turn" bottle and beg The Judiciary to site a 1500 man (750 jobs) prison on the same site. Where will those B1/B2/B8 uses be located? Where is that "ready to go" alternative site.....there is'nt one!

Anglesey Council is accused of being in a mess.....look further up the chain because WAG are even more in a pickle.

Llangefni would be a better location, at least it is central and is not land owned or controlled by WAG who have a massive conflict of interest.

Absence of LDP "damaging" Anglesey

Without a plan, or strategy you cannot hope to make a success of any business venture - we all know this fundamental principle.

Anglesey Council's governing party has inherited a poisonous legacy that is so toxic and corrosive it continues to cause influence in political thinking and it needs to end.

Jobs and homes continue to dominate the news but how can you plan for jobs and homes if the Council have no strategy in place because it lacks the planning policy manpower?

Development proposals on private and public land for housing schemes, office park schemes, mixed-use leisure schemes, green power generation including nuclear power station schemes and even potentially a new 750 inmate prison seem to never move forward or materialise.

There is a common theme emerging which is that schemes on private land by private companies are considered less favourable than proposals on land controlled on Council or WAG owned / controlled land.

Anglesey is lacking public investment because the cupboard is bare and private investment is reluctant because when dealing with the Council it always gets "the rough end of the pineapple."

It is time Anglesey Council recognises that to move forward an LDP is required and changes needed so that planning applications are welcomed and considered favourably and that assistance should be given to see how planning permission could be awarded not refused.

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WAG planning application 19C842G Parc Cybi - beyond reproach?

It seems that someone is in an awful hurry in The Welsh Assembly Government to have permission for 200 houses (a departure application) pushed through Anglesey Councils planning committee to satisfy a deal with Anglesey Aluminium before the current year financial end. Download 12012010 Terry Stevens WAG Questions that need to be raised (echoes of WAG at Ty Mawr, Llanfairpwll) as to precisely what is the relationship between the applicant WAG and the landowner Anglesey Aluminium. What promises have been made? The Anglesey Council LDP pre-deposit draft (2006-2021) contains this site as "housing" however in the stopped UDP the Council were forced to drop housing and return the entire site to "employment" following the Planning Inspectors comments.

Why therefore has the Council changed its mind and re-introduced housing in the light of the inspectors comments? Why are WAG putting pressure on the Policy section of Anglesey Council to accept housing on the only decent employment site in Holyhead? Surely other sites could be found?

We understand that an onjection by the Economic Development Department to the potential loss of "employment" land for housing is causing a problem for WAG and Anglesey Council who wish to see the departure application for housing approved post haste. A housing and Extra Care application 34C553A at Ty'n Coed, Llangefni (for 139 houses and a 50 unit Extra Care) was determined at committee in November 2008 and in a split decision the Extra Care approved (because the Council wanted it) but the housing element was refused.

The reason for refusal was i) Prematurity in light of the LDP and ii) The Council claimed it had in excess of 5 years land supply. We believe the 5 year land supply was fabricated to show in excess of 5 years when in fact this was untrue. Analysis by the applicants shows that the Council 5 year land supply figures were fundamentally flawed. Why therefore are Anglesey Council playing games?

On 5th December 2008 Coleg Menai applied to renew their planning permission at Lon Talwrn for housing that was previously a controversial departure application that included a school, housing and roads plus a "construction centre of excellence that was contoversially approved then taken to Judicial Review because Anglesey Council by third party because Anglesey Council had misdirected itself in law. The housing element was meant to cross fund the build cost of the construction centre of excellence. Why therefore was this permission renewed by Anglesey Council in July 2009 be approved given that the reason to grant permission in the first place to fund the Construction centre of Excellence was unnecessary as it was already built.

Anglesey Council seem to descriminate against certain applicants but always gives in to pressure from WAG in any application where they are an interested party, including schools.

The score for "Anglesey Council departure applications for housing" at the moment is as follows:

1. Coleg Menai - approved because it was "a complete package"

2. StMalo - refused because "prematurity of LDP and existing 5 year land supply"

3. Parc Cybi - do you need to guess?

The simple fact is that Anglesey Council's LDP is effectively in cyberspace preventing the Island from moving forward. The only signs of encouragement, potential development at Parc Cybi is tainted by the Welsh Assembly Governments attempts to interfere with democracy at every level being the applicant, the appeals body and the lawmaker and using public funds to compete against developers in Wales thereby creating a scenario where the state is the provider at every level excluding competition. Anglesey and Wales is not a place to do business.

Anglesey Council awaits potential Judicial Review challenge?

Anglesey Council may have again granted a planning permission that could be seen as legally unsound where it may have misdirected itself in the eyes of the law and is therefore capable of being judicially reviewed.

This is a high profile site where it appears that the applicant has been treated differently by Anglesey Council to that of its neighbours.

Details will follow shortly....

"Call-in" application - European Funding or mirage?

Since our last post, all appears to have been quiet, or has it?

The "called in" scheme is now being considered by the office of Jane Davidson AM in The Wlesh Assembly Government. Readers may be aware of a suggestion of (approved) WEFO finance for the B1 office element of the scheme.

According to the Daily Post 26/11/2008 p19 the developer is quoted as saying "that the scheme had passed through the first stage of project assessment (to secure WEFO funding) and that the company were is talks with WEFO officials regarding its business plan"

At Anglesey Council's Full Committee of 5th December 2008 that first considered the application it was suggested that WEFO funding was available, the committee voted 14 to 13 against the proposal. However because the Council had "apparently" dispensed with Full Committee rules and adopted the "Planning & Orders Committee Rules (but are yet to subsequently prove it)" then a months' cooling off preiod is given because also the decision went against the officers' recommendation for approval.

At the 30th January 2009 Full Council Committee to again consider the foregoing planning application (after the cooling off period), it was stated by none less than The Corporate Director that "the project had WEFO funding." Indeed this point added weight and credibility to the applicants' development proposal. Was this situation entirely correct or was it misunderstood?

Sources close to those "in the know" in Cardiff have suggested that in the case of the above, WEFO had not provided the developer with a letter confirming that European Funds were available for the project at the time the planning application was being heard by Anglesey Council. Furthermore, it is suggested now that "NO" WEFO funds might be available for such a project, especially given the current economic climate.

Also, the developers have had many companies according to records obtained via Companies House and WEFO would have to be convinced of the applicants trading record met the stringent criteria for European Funding.

Watch this space. 

Anglesey - Ty Mawr "called-in" by Welsh Assembly Government Minister

We can exclusively report that Jane Davidson AM, Minister of Environment, Sustainability & Housing has notified Anglesey Council by way of a "call-in" letter dated 30th March 2009 in respect of the foregoing departure application granted planning permission on 30th January 2009.

In the call-in letter to Anglesey Council the minister states the reason for all in as:

1. That the proposed development raises planning issues of more than local importance.

2. That there are issues which may conflict with National policy in respect of development in the open countryside

3.  Sustainability issues

4. Siting of and impact ofdevelopment in the open countryside.

5. To potentially have an effect beyond the immediate locality in terms of of its impact on other centres within the locality.

The foregoing potentially spells good news for Anglesey and Caernarfonshire as whereas members of Anglesey Council were seduced by the proposal, the silent majority were opposed to the proposal, we hope common sense shall prevail and the Welsh Ministers will "switch off" the permission.

A copy of the call-in letter is below:

 

Anglesey - allowing public speaking at Council planning committees to be reviewed?

Readers may have previously read here at YnysMon.com about Anglesey Council's stance regarding public speaking at Planning committee (The Anglesey County Council Planning & Orders Committee) however in this weeks' Holyhead & Anglesey Mail an article covers the story of 3 minute egg timer costing £1.99 being sent to Anglesey Council as a potential technical solution in allowing public speaking. 

John Arthur Jones ex-Anglesey Councillor first mooted the public speaking idea in September 2007 however the Council are yet to implement the proposal blaming procrastination on an inability to find funds to procure the technical element of allowing public speaking (now potentially resolved by use of an egg timer) and that Planning & Orders Committee Members are yet to further observe how public speaking works at neighbouring authority, Wrexham Council.

Readers views and comments are welcome.

Anglesey - Ty Mawr, "call-in" delayed (31C169C/TR/EIA/ECON)

We are able to exclusively report that:

The Welsh Assembly Government have written to Anglesey Council to say that they need more time to consider "call-in" on Ty Mawr, Llanfairpwll and in the meantime have directed that Anglesey Council cannot issue an approval.

We will report further on this situation as it unfolds.

Allow public speaking at Planning Committees

In the aftermath Anglesey Council's Planning decision of 30th January 2009 to allow the Ty Mawr Llanfairpwll planning application questions need to be asked about the level of public participation and particularly speeding up allowing "the public" to "have their say" at planning committee hearings. 

In Anglesey, the public perception, dare I say is that they are excluded from this important part of the planning process. In most UK Councils,the public have a right to speak at planning committees however Anglesey is somewhat of an exception. However moves are afoot to allow public speaking but this was first mooted in September 2007 and progress since has been slow with members visiting neighbouring authorities (Wrexham) to observe the process and democracy at work. So despite the fact that "one of the largest planning applications of our time" has been recently considered at Anglesey there was no public speaking. Might this not show that The Council are out of touch with the public mood?

Usually each member of the public is allocated a 3 minute slot that cannot be over-run as the microphone is switched off! Okay this is not perfect but allows people to have their say whatever the planning outcome!

The last thing an applicant needs is to have a local member of the application ward standing up and addressing fellow members with the public observing as the proposal is slated without any form of rebuttal. Allowing public speaking provides a fair opportunity to "give an opinion" about an application proposal whether for or against.

The views on Anglesey ratepayers on this topic would be appreciated!