A PLANNING application for four houses on a Machynlleth estate has been approved despite an application for just one home being rejected seven years ago.

While councillors on the authority’s planning committee narrowly voted to support a planning officer recommendation to approve the scheme at Ffordd Mynydd Griffiths, an objector has claimed the development was being given the go-ahead because Powys County Council was not meeting housing targets in its Unitary Development Plan.

While an application in 2012 for one house was rejected because of concerns over the development adversely affecting the skyline and looming over other properties, as well as drainage, access and amenity loss concerns, a second application for two houses was approved. That has now been replaced by the permission for four houses.

Chris Fuller, a local resident who addressed the planning committee on behalf of the objectors to the app­lication, said residents still had the same concerns as expressed in the first application, but that they had been overshadowed by the council’s need to boost housing numbers as part of its UDP.

He said: “It was very controversial at the time. In 2016, there was an application for two houses and that was granted even though the planning objections from 2012 still applied as far as we thought.

“The excuse given is that as Powys council hasn’t met its housing target it could be approved.

“How far do you relax the rules that meet targets that may not be correct?"

The planning report admitted that the development goes against the development plan, but said that could be justified in order to provide housing.

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