News Archive

Council to visit supermarket sites

CONTROVERSIAL plans for two new supermarkets in Newcastle Emlyn are to be considered in site visits by councillors, it has been revealed.

A meeting of Carmarthenshire county council’s planning committee considered applications for the development of a Lidl neighbourhood foodstore at Castle Motors, Station Road, and the construction of a retail convenience store at land off Tanyard Lane.

The council decided to carry out site visits in order to examine the proposals following a residents’ campaign against them.

The Lidl application has been submitted by Lidl UK and Castle Motors and is for a new neighbourhood food store and for the relocation of premises for Castle Motors vehicle workshop.

Officers are recommending refusing the application.

They say that the proposal is unacceptable because it goes against the council’s Sustainable Development policy to reduce car use, would increase traffic and does not include improvements to make the supermarket more accessible for customers not travelling by car. Bus services only run every two or three hours.

The Tanyard Lane application has been submitted by Eiddo Davies Properties Ltd and is to build a retail convenience store.

An officers’ report says that the application fails to demonstrate it would not have an adverse impact on highway safety and pedestrian access and says that it would have an adverse impact on the neighbouring Conservation Area in Newcastle Emlyn.

The report says: “The proposal is within an existing urban area, however, the proposal does not include any off-site improvements to improve accessibility by non-car forms of transport.

“The existing pedestrian routes from College Street and Emlyn Square are uneven, unlit and secluded and therefore not attractive to pedestrians.”

Officers are recommending refusing planning permission.

Members of the planning committee voted to have site visits to look at how both schemes would relate to the town centre.

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