Plans for 38 new council houses by a leisure centre in Carmarthenshire will help meet a high demand for affordable housing, according to housing officials, but residents worry existing traffic issues will get worse.
Some local people are also concerned about what might be contained in the raised area of land by Carmarthen Leisure Centre, Llansteffan Road, Johnstown, where the development is planned. Two schools were previously demolished in the vicinity and the 2.5-acre development site – flanked by trees, a hedge, tennis courts and part of the leisure centre car park – is fenced off.
Objections focus on traffic
Seven people have objected to date on a number of grounds with traffic a recurring theme given the site’s proximity to Queen Elizabeth High School and the leisure centre on one side and football pitches on the other. One woman claimed it already took her 50 minutes to an hour to get from Llansteffan Road to Carmarthen town centre two miles away, and that on one recent occasion cars parked on both sides of the road would have prevented emergency vehicle access. “Any more volume of traffic is a disaster waiting to happen,” said her objection letter.
Carmarthenshire Council undertook a pre-application consultation this time last year and held a public meeting about the proposals. Feedback was assessed and planning agents on the authority’s behalf said, among other things, that a land contamination survey had identified the site as suitable for development. They also said a new access to the homes was needed off Llansteffan Road rather than the existing one serving the leisure centre because of the site’s topography.
Welsh Water raises sewerage concerns
Welsh Water considered the impact of foul water from the development and said sewerage capacity limitations in the immediate area would, in its view, need to be addressed before it was built. A year on and Welsh Water has now said the foul flows could be accommodated in the network but it added that the wastewater treatment works they would travel to was failing a particular target. It has therefore recommended that none of the 38 properties are occupied before a planned wastewater treatment works upgrade is completed.
A planning statement on behalf of the council said the development would create “affordable homes that meet a clearly identified and pressing community need” in a well-connected location. There would be a mix of bungalows, flats and houses – all for social rent – for around 126 people with gardens, parking and an area of open space. Surface water would be captured and retained on site.
Council response and next steps
“The proposal will generate much needed social housing to meet demand along with employment opportunities,” said the statement. The council’s pollution team has recommended planning conditions because of a historic previous ground investigation which had, it said, “identified potential land contamination considerations”.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted the council about the plans and objections. It said it was unable to comment as the application was under consultation.
