Anglesey councillor appeals after receiving enforcement notice against car boot sale plans

An Anglesey Councillor has lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate after work to convert one of his fields into a car boot sale site was carried out without prior permission.

Cllr Eric Wyn Jones is alleged to have allowed the work –  including removing topsoil and placing aggregates, as well as widening road access and installing new gates – at a field he owns on the outskirts of Llanfairpwll known as Cae Prytherch.

The move saw Anglesey Council launch an investigation and dish out an enforcement notice which compels Cllr Jones, who sits on the authority’s planning committee, to convert the land back to its original state.

But having been given three months to comply with the order, an appeal has now been lodged with the planning inspectorate, meaning that Welsh Government appointed inspectors will now be given the final say on if the work should be permitted.

The appeal documents, which have now been lodged with inspectors, note that the site could not run successfully a a car boot site unless the work, including hard standing, was carried out.

“The land is dually used for agricultural storage purposes and under permitted development rights as a car boot site. In order to make the site fit for purpose as a car boot site, it is considered necessary for the land to be covered in porous hard surfacing.

“The appeal site is identified as a local service centre in the adopted Joint Local Development Plan and is in a highly accessible and sustainable location. Its location makes it suitable for residents of Llanfairpwll to access the site on foot, bike or public transport.

“The site is considered to be much more sustainable and accessible in comparison to other car boot sites on Anglesey, which are predominantly reliant upon private transport.

“The site has been used for car boots in the past and from a highways point of view, it is proven to be a safe and accessible site, with no highway safety concerns being raised.”

Elected in 2017 for the Bro Rhosyr ward Cllr Jones, a member of the Anibynnwyr Mon group, lists ownership of Cae Prytherch on his register of interests and is listed as the appellant.

According to several Facebook posts, the hosting of the now weekly Car Boot Sale has been a “great success” with 24 car stalls and 126 visiting vehicles for its first weekend.

But Cllr Meirion Jones, one of the local members for the village, said in December that he was “disappointed” that the situation had arose, adding that it had been a matter of discussion and concern for the local community council.
Anglesey Council’s enforcement notice calls for:

• The removal of all portacabins, portable flood lights and mobile toilets stored there,
• Digging up the hard surface of the land and to remove the excavated material,
• Demolishing the soil bunds on the land and to reinstate the topsoil by spreading it on the ground either flat or at the same levels as it was before it was moved to create the bunds,
• Restoring the land to its former condition by seeding the re-laid topsoil with hay.

With the local authority now being invited to respond to the appeal, its expected that the Planning Inspectorate will make a decision over the coming months.

By Gareth Williams – Local Democracy Reporter