By Elgan Hearn, Local democracy Reporter
Dozens of objections have been raised against a planning application which is vital for a major scheme in Newtown.
The plans by Going Green for a Living for land near Glandwr, Vaynor, Newtown, is to build an access track, parking spaces, changing room building with a polytunnel and shed.
The plans will be in front of Powys County Council’s planning committee on Thursday.
Officers are backing the proposal which is on PCC land, but 108 people have signed a statement of objecting to it.
The objections are for the “loss of public space”.
”More traffic on the estate road” and a perception of “increased flood risk.”
Five letters of objection have also been sent to the county council.
One by Roy Thomas, who has lived opposite the site for 30 years, says: “I’m extremely concerned of the danger this application could pose to members of the public.
“Since living here, the river has broken out on numerous occasions.
“In fact when it has broken out I’ve seen it raise to a level just over half way up full-sized goal posts, which to my mind makes this site totally unsuitable for this type of development.”
Planning Case Officer Dunya Fourie, who wrote the report, said: “While this development proposes recreational facilities they would affect an informal recreation area to the east of Heol Vaynor.
“The proposal would result in a small part of the informal playing field being surfaced with hard core to facilitate vehicle access.
“The proposed changes to the area are considered minimal and are likely to continue to support general recreational recreational use of the field, while also opening up the river environment for recreation.
“It is considered the proposed scheme would enhance the recreational potential on these areas of open space and river.
She added that it was unlikely that the proposal would have an: “unacceptable adverse impact on th neighbour amenity.”
Mrs Fourie added that she recommended conditional consent.
Statutory consultee, Natural Resources Wales (NRW), advised that no more development should happen there.
NRW said: “The proposed infrastructure will allow for appropriate land use, football, communal gardening, access for river use, but any further intensification of built development should be resisted to avoid an undesirable precedent for development in a floodplain.”
The application is part of the Going Green for a Living, now known as Open Newtown’s vision of managing open spaces more imaginatively into reality.
They will receive tenure of around 130 acres of land from PCC to be held in a Community Land Trust.
In 2018 Open Newtown received £1.1 million from the Big Lottery to use on the project.
