PLANNING permission to knock down one of Wales’ most expensive homes has been refused.

A multi-million-pound clifftop property in Abersoch was under threat of being razed to the ground and replaced by an “out-of-keeping” Grand Designs-type property if controversial plans had been approved.

The Shanty, a 100-year-old property on the Benar headland, was purchased for approximately £2.2m in 2016.

According to a survey it was the most expensive house sold in Wales that year.

Applicant Nigel Andrews wanted to replace it with a “bold, high quality” three-storey house if Gwynedd planners had granted him permission.

However, despite the project being recommended for approval, the county council’s planning committee rejected the plan at a meeting at the end of last month.

The scheme has been criticised by the local community council which believes the site will be “overwhelmed”, a notion the local authority planners agreed with.

When asked about the decision, a Gwynedd Council spokesperson said: “Members of the council’s Planning Committee refused an application to demolish the existing dwelling and construct a replacement three-storey dwelling at Pen Bennar, Abersoch.

“As part of the decision, members expressed concerns regarding the effect on visual amenities within the Llyn Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.”

The criticism comes despite the fact that the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Unit deliberated that although the development is “quite substantial” that “due to the unique design and the choice of materials for the coastal location, it is not considered that it would affect the AONB”.

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