New Deganwy car park in flood zone approved despite warnings from officers

Conwy county councillors looked at the plans, right next to the existing council-owned rail station car park off Station Road, at Wednesday’s planning meeting.

Officers had recommended refusal of the scheme due to a flood risk report from Natural Resources Wales (NRW), but several committee members scoffed at the flood risk, with the site right next to an existing car park owned by the council, and the fact it was not a permanent structure.

The plans, brought forward by Laura Hibbert, would transform what Cllr Dave Rees (Llansanffraid ward) described as an “absolutely disgusting” plot of land strewn with “scrap cars, scrap trailers and scrap boats”, into a car park for a temporary 25-year term.

The idea was to provide 41 pay and display spaces for local residents which would prevent some of the parking along Station Road in the village.

It had previously been used a temporary pay and display car park and contract parking area for residents until August 2016.

Cllr Andrew Hinchliff (Bryn ward) suggested the amount of on street parking in the village might be due to the council’s decision to raise fees in its own car park – from 50p for two hours to £1 an hour.

Jamie Bradshaw, from town planning consultancy Owen Devenport, spoke on behalf of the applicant.

He said: “It has been used as a car park recently.  Any cars and their users would likely be in this area even if this application was refused.

“There is room for planning judgement to be exercised and the applicant is willing to accept a limit to consent for 25 years.”

He said at that point in time the claimed effects of climate change would be expected to be greater.

“It would be hoped by that time steps to mitigate the effects of flooding would have been taken by upgrading defences,” he said.

Despite officer recommendations to refuse the plan, the committee voted by 12-2, with one abstention, to approve the scheme.