A call for a Ceredigion rural enterprise dwelling by an agricultural contractor and family, which was recommended for refusal, has been given a breathing space so planners can visit the proposed site.

In an application recommended for refusal at the July 8 meeting of Ceredigion County Council’s development management committee, permission was sought for a rural enterprise dwelling and associated shed and yard at Penrhiwdulais, Brongest, Beulah.

A previous similar application was refused by the committee back in late 2024.

The new application seeks full planning permission for a rural enterprise dwelling and an associated shed and yard to support the applicant’s business, D M Agri Services.

The previous application sought permission in relation to Huw Morris Plant Hire.

The application was before the committee at the request of the local councillors, because “the business serves local farmers and supports the agricultural industry, making a location close to both clients and the applicant’s home essential for efficient service, particularly during busy harvest periods, while also reducing travel, costs and carbon footprint.”

Beulah Community Council supported the latest application, saying the applicants are both local and contribute to the rural economy, giving a vital service to the agricultural industry.

An officer report recommending refusal said that “the physical form of development now proposed is largely unchanged”, to the previously refused application.”

“The main difference is the dwelling, which has been reduced to a 137sqm,” officers said.

“The siting and scale of the shed, yard and access remain materially the same.

“The key change between the two submissions lies in the business case presented.”

“This shift—from seeking a second dwelling on an established enterprise to supporting a newly formed standalone enterprise—forms the central distinction from the earlier application.”

The plan is recommended for refusal on the basis that it did not meet the TAN 6 criteria, and “does not demonstrate that the business requires this countryside location, that a full‑time worker must live on the site, or that suitable accommodation elsewhere is unavailable,” and it “would introduce a visually intrusive and suburbanising form of development that would materially harm the landscape character of this prominent rural setting”.

At the meeting a call was made by Cllr Chris James for members to visit the proposed site, with Cllr Gareth Lloyd formally moving a site visit be held before any decision.

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Members backed a site visit, the scheme returning to a future committee meeting.