Plans to Extend Caravan Site Near Hay-on-Wye Withdrawn

PLANS to extend a caravan site near Hay-on-Wye have been withdrawn.
In April, James Lloyd-Jones, of Hillandale Caravan Parks, lodged a planning application with Powys County Council to change the use of a field to 31 more caravans to be added to Borders Hideaway Holiday Park at Clyro near Hay-on-Wye.
The holiday park already has 48 static caravans, 18 touring caravan pitches and 18 seasonal caravan pitches, a house and amenity block there.
The field in question also has planning permission for tents to be pitched on large parts of it for 28 days from March 1 to October 31 each year.
The proposal had faced opposition from the community.
The local county councillor is Liberal Democrat, James Gibson-Watt who is also the Powys council leader.
He wanted to call in the application for the council’s Planning committee to decide.
In his submission to call in the application Cllr Gibson-Watt also wanted Planning committee members to visit the site so that they could see for themselves how the proposal would affect the landscape.
Cllr Gibson-Watt said: “This is a very prominent location in an elevated position on steeply sloping ground, proposing to expand a facility with a controversial planning history.
“For members of the Planning Committee to fully understand the application and the proposed development’s potential impact I believe it would be very desirable for them to conduct a site visit prior to the application going to committee.”
Clyro community council had also objected to the application and believed that it is contrary to the Powys Local Development Plan (LDP).
Clyro council said: “It is the unanimous view of the Clyro Community Council that this application be rejected.”
“It will have an unacceptable adverse effect on the valued characteristics and qualities of the landscape and is not appropriate and sensitive in terms of siting and scale.”
According to documents lodged in support of the application, this permission for tent pitches granted in 2020 has established the principle that the site can be used for overnight holiday use.
The applicant said they were looking to grow the business and safeguard existing jobs and help support the local economy. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​