Hotel in Wales Granted Permission for Light Alterations and Cowshed Conversion Despite Residents’ Concerns

A hotel was granted retrospective permission for external light alterations as well as the conversion of a cowshed into a holiday let, despite residents’ concerns about light pollution.
Mr S Roberts of Clwyd Gate Ltd applied to Denbighshire’s planning department, seeking permission to transform a cowshed and generator into holiday accommodation at Clwyd Gate Motel at Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd.
Residents living nearby had written to the council, complaining about the bright light coming from the hotel.
But at a planning committee meeting today (Wednesday), council officers told councillors the applicant had worked with both planning officers and ecologists to put in place provisions to protect the Dark Sky Zone.
Mr Roberts also applied to convert a former cowshed and generator outbuilding into a one-bed self-contained holiday let, including an open-plan kitchen, bedroom, living area, and separate en suite bathroom.
But Cllr Chris Evans asked officers how councillors could back the application when an objection had been submitted disputing the ownership of the land in regard to an access track.
Planning officer Paul Griffin said: “That is a concern that has been raised, but obviously those concerns have been put to the applicants, and they have confirmed that they do own the land, that it is their land in their ownership.
“This is an age-old problem we have in planning when one party says that’s not their land and the other party says it is. Ultimately, we have to accept those declarations in good faith. It is a civil law responsibility of the applicant to make sure they have the right to use that land.”
He added: “They stated they do. The applicants have disagreed. That will then become the matter of a civil law case if someone wanted to challenge their ownership. So it doesn’t have a material bearing on this application.”
Cllr Merfyn Parry proposed that councillors backed both applications, these proposals were seconded by councillors Arwel Roberts and Alan James, and the committee voted unanimously in favour of both applications.

By Richard Evans – Local Democracy Reporter