CARMARTHENSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has become the first local authority in Wales to grant permission for a One Planet sustainable development without going through the planning committee.
The four hectare development, in Hebron, is also the first to be granted planning permission in Carmarthenshire.
One Planet Developments are a Welsh Government initiative, which allow the construction of sustainable dwellings outside of the area covered by the Local Development Plan, for the creation of small, sustainable land-based businesses.
Applicants must meet the detailed criteria for One Planet Developments, which are laid out by the Welsh Government, and have to produce a management plan, which demonstrates in depth how the applicant will achieve self-sufficiency over a five-year period.
By the end of that period, at least 30% of food consumed by residents must be grown on-site, and at least 65% must be either grown or paid for through money earned from sustainable land-based on-site business.
Strict rules also apply to the construction of dwellings, which must be low-carbon in construction, unobtrusive, and fit in with the surrounding landscape. The developments must be off-grid, as well as meeting a target for global footprint which is far below the national average.
The Hebron development is the brainchild of Salena Walker and Christopher Richards, originally from south Wales. The application, for ‘a low-impact smallholding on four hectares of land… which will have one dwelling and support two people, was passed by planning officers using delegated powers at the end of December.
The development was granted conditionally on the grounds that the applicants provide a detailed report annually showing how they followed the original management plan. Consistent failure to follow the plan can lead to permission being revoked.
One of the land-based businesses will be the sale of fruit and mushrooms grown on-site. They will also be marketing hand-made cosmetics made from herbs grown on-site, manufacturing raw chocolate, and teaching courses in sustainable living.
This application was passed under delegated powers. However, as The Herald reported in September, an application for a similar development was brought before the planning committee, which voted to overturn the planning officer’s recommendation and refuse permission by 10-3.
The main difference between the two developments appeared to be the strength of local opposition to the Rhiw Las development. The local member and Llanboidy Community Council both opposed the development, with the latter even going to the extent of bringing in an external consultant to assess the development.
The Hebron development received no objection from the local member, and the only letters received during the consultation were supportive. Planning applications generally have to be put before the planning committee if the local Councillor requests it, or if two or more objections are received from local residents.
Both of these criteria applied to the Rhiw Las application, which is currently at the early stages of being appealed.
Chair of the Planning Committee Councillor Alun Lenny told The Herald that “people may have difficulty reconciling the granting of permission for this type of development with the difficulty of obtaining permission for the usual type of dwelling.
“I am aware that there is resentment among members of the farming community who have had applications turned down,” he added, suggesting that the Rhiw Las development may have been ‘quite strongly coloured by local people not understanding why this type of development is allowed outside the UDP.
Rhiw Las applicant Dr Erica Thompson was encouraged by the local reaction to the latest application: “It was great to see that another One Planet Development was passed in Carmarthenshire and that it was supported by local residents as a positive contribution to the area,” she told The Herald.
“I hope it will encourage others to read up on the policy and understand more about the benefits of this kind of development.”
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