By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter
Residents who end up living in a flat development in the middle of Newtown will be forced to park their cars elsewhere.
Powys County Council has bought the former bowling green site on Back Lane and has tweaked the original plans which were given planning permission back in 2017.
The amendments will see an extra two flats built there which mean the development going up from 24 to 26 one bedroom apartments.
No provision has been made for residential parking as there is now an emphasis from the Welsh Government to have developments built with public transport and walking in mind.
Any residents who have cars would be expected to park elsewhere or at the nearby Back Lane Car Park, which is a £3.40 a day pay and display.
During a county council planning meeting, Cllr Les George said: “You could have 52 cars here, is this going to take any parking away from visitors in Newtown?”
Highways officer Dale Boyington said: “This is one of the most sustainable developments in Powys.
“If anyone does park it will bring in additional revenue to us. The car park is rarely at 100 per cent full. It’s unlikely to take away any capacity. For us it’s a win-win.”
The Transport Assessment document which goes with the application, said: “Given the close proximity of the site to local amenities in the town centre, as well as public transport options, including the bus station and railway station, it is deemed that the requirement for a car would be greatly reduced.
“This is also reflected in the type of residential units being proposed, whereby occupiers may typically exhibit low levels of car ownership.”
