An appeal against a refusal of a conversion of an ‘eyesore’ 1960s flat-roof betting shop to a home has been turned down.

In an application refused last August, Dafydd Phillips, sought permission from Ceredigion planners to convert the former Wright Bookmakers, Castle Lane, Aberaeron to a one-bed dwelling, with the removal of a flat roof and a first-floor extension.

The bookies, in a 1965 building in the town’s conservation area to the rear of the Prince of Wales public house, closed in 2018, and was described as “falling into a state of disrepair”.

A supporting statement through agent Morgan & Flynn Architectural Services said the current building is “not providing a sympathetic approach in appearance to the setting of the conservation area, and therefore means that it provides little evidential value,” adding it “actually creates an eyesore that is not sympathetic to its surroundings”.

An officer report, recommending refusal, said: “Whilst [the planning authority] agrees that the loss of the existing building would not be particularly impactful on the conservation area as a whole due to the building being a relatively recent addition to Aberaeron and having little architectural merit given its context, the design for the proposed dwelling is not deemed acceptable.”

It also said affordable housing policy placed a requirement for a commuted sum at the equivalent value of 10% of the open market value, but no such agreement had been entered at the time of the application.

It was refused on the grounds of “inappropriate design that fails to positively contribute to the context of its location and surroundings, due to the sensitivity of its setting within a Conservation area” and no formal Section 106 legal agreement being entered into.

Following the refusal, an appeal was lodged with was the Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW), who have upheld the Ceredigion council decision.