PLANS for a Grade II-listed former Roman Catholic Church to be transformed into a ten-bedroom holiday let were deferred at a Conwy planning committee meeting this week.
Simon and David Salzman applied to Conwy’s planning department, seeking permission for a change of use of the Our Lady of the Rosary church in Penmaenmawr.
The applicants sought permission to convert the old church building on Conwy Old Road into short-term holiday accommodation.
But Conwy’s highways officers raised concerns, despite planning officers having already recommended the plans for approval, delaying any debate.
Council officer Katy Roberts said: “We’ve had some correspondence received quite recently from the highways authority, who’ve made some additional comments to those they’ve made previously.
“The comments relate to a parking shortfall in relation to the number of parking spaces that are proposed. They’ve also now raised concerns over the design of the access and state that a speed survey is required to show that the proposed visibility displays are adequate.
“With that in mind, officers would recommend that the application is deferred to give us time to consider these comments further.”
Penmaenmawr Town Council has already raised objections to the application, also citing highway safety and lack of parking as reasons for their concern, arguing five car spaces isn’t enough for a ten-bedroom let.
The town council also said the development was near a school crossing and could potentially increase traffic.
The town councillors cited the narrow road and ‘difficult sightlines’ from Graiglwyd Road on to Conway Old Road and vice versa as a potential risk.
The former church’s proposed conversion includes the re-configuration of the internal layout to allow the creation of a new living space, together with internal insulation, the replacement of the existing ‘lean-to extension’, and window and door repairs.
The plans will be discussed at a future planning committee meeting.
