CARMARTHENSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has confirmed it will not be building social housing on one of the most outstanding development sites in Llanelli.
The Brynmefys estate, which looks out onto the Gower coastline and is situated in an area of outstanding countryside, is being offered for sale to private developers. Any developer taking on the site will have to consider a number of ecological hurdles before they can build, including bats. Meanwhile, the last remaining human residents appear to have been overlooked.
We visited the Brynmefys Estate and spoke with one of the residents, who said they were still in the dark regarding what was going to happen around their home.
Afterwards, we contacted the County Council to ask what the latest state of play was for the site, which neighbours one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in Llanelli – Penyfai Lane.
The Herald asked the council what the plans were for the site and if they were considering building any new homes on the site or if they were considering it for any other use.
A council spokesperson said: “We are in discussions with a number of potential developers interested in Brynmefys. We have asked each to provide detailed proposals, from which we will be able to identify the best solution for the site. We will consider offers from all interested parties that come forward.”
It appears that the council is attempting to get as much as possible for the site, which in terms of location and building potential for any prospective developer should run comfortably run into seven figures.
The council spokesperson went on to say: “Maximising the receipt from the sale of the Brynmefys site will make a significant contribution to additional affordable housing in the Llanelli area. To achieve this, we have stipulated that any potential developer should include plans for affordable homes to support our five-year Affordable Homes Commitment- around 20% of homes will need to be affordable. This could be delivered, dependant on what is proposed, on site, on other council owned land in the Llanelli area or by making an equivalent financial contribution to support additional affordable homes elsewhere.”
New social housing will not, therefore, feature at Brynmefys, where the views and surroundings would be coveted by any potential house buyer.
Interestingly, with one of the key issues about Brynmefys being the lack of public transport links to Llanelli, it seems as though the council is prepared to contemplate a significant increase in car traffic onto the narrow B4309 and into Furnace village.
Instead, the council say: “In terms of building new council rented homes on Brynmefys, a key principle of our Affordable Homes Commitment is to build council homes in locations identified as in the highest need. As such, and based on detailed housing need information, the Brynmefys site was not considered appropriate for new-build council homes.”
In answer to our question as to whether the site could be used for recreational, leisure or any other purposes, the spokesperson said: “We are not considering any other potential uses of the Brynmefys site, which is subject to a range of ecological measures due to the presence of bats, which are a protected species. The ecological measures already in place also form part of the planning conditions on the site.”
You can watch the full interview with the residents at Brynmefys on our website (www.llanelliherald.com) or via our Facebook page.
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