Plans to demolish North Wales night club to build housing changed at the eleventh hour

Proposals to flatten a former nightclub and build 14 homes were amended the day before a planning committee was supposed to vote on them.

The proposal to gain outline planning permission to build 14 homes on the Windjammers nightclub site on Towyn Road, Belgrano, should have been heard by councillors on Wednesday.

The site is located in a C1 flood zone but architects working for the applicant claim a study ordered into the risk concluded the site would be flood free until 2117. The owner of the site is Nigel Gizzi.

The original plans were withdrawn and replaced on Tuesday, the day before planners were due to assess the scheme.

The council’s tree/landscape officer had previously objected to the proposals on the grounds the 34 trees on site had been “shown for removal”, according to the officer.

A later correspondence, on June 1, from the officer shows he has no “objection to the amendment” and called for a “revised tree protection plan”.

An amended tree survey was added to the documents pack on June 9.

Cllr Andrew Wood, representing Gele ward, has been consulted and he is in favour of the plan.

He said the flood risk is 0.01% and the site avoied flooding in 1996. He also remarked a development of 30 properties to the east of the site had not been affected by flooding.

The properties would be a mix of terraced, detached and semi-detached homes with a density of seven two-bed, four three-bed and three four-bed properties.

Planning committee members were being recommended to either refuse outline permission for the development of two, three and four bed properties, or allow officers to determine it under delegation.

The site has a certificate of lawfulness for the existing use as a public house together with manager’s accommodation, granted in 2018.

The design and access statement mentioned “the possibility that the landowner would have no other option than to reopen as a wine bar and nightclub if a suitable alternative is not found”.

The amended plans will go before the committee at a later date.

By Jez Hemming – Local Democracy Reporter