SOME locals will be “celebrating” after a controversial bid to convert a former boatyard into 55 waterfront homes has been sunk for now.
Residents in Bangor’s Hirael and Garth districts are “delighted” that the second phase of a scheme to develop housing on the old Dickies site have been pulled.
As Cyngor Gwynedd’s planning committee prepared to debate the matter today (March 20), they were told the proposal had been removed by the applicants. The application was first raised in March 2018 and was submitted by Claire Droog, of the Watkin Jones Group.
Over the years the scheme attracted scores of objections from local residents, town council and others bodies and prompted public meetings. Amongst objections was everything from over development, to visual impact, the effect on wading birds and wildlife, concerns over Japanese Knotweed and contamination of rubble on the site, to the impact on the heritage and nature of the area, as well as local and national policy issues.
The development had been planned for an area south of Bangor Pier overlooking Hirael Bay within the Garth community. The application site comprised of reclaimed land on the Port Penrhyn foreshore.
The brownfield site had seen historic industrial and commercial use The proposal had been to provide 55 residential units, a mix of houses and apartments, a new vehicular access, estate roads and associated paths, parking spaces and landscaping.
However, council planning officers had recommended the committee refuse the application. Assistant head of the council’s environment department, Gareth Jones, said “the application has now been removed”.
Speaking on behalf of local residents, councillor Huw Wyn Jones, said: “The local community of Garth and Hirael are delighted that Watkin Jones Group have finally seen sense and withdrawn this awful plan.
“It’s been obvious to anyone who can read the planning regulations that this development was going to be unsuccessful. It is very much the wrong plan in the wrong place.
“This application has been in the system since 2018 and has caused untold stress to those living nearby. Hopefully the developers will now do the decent thing for the local community and restore the land.
“I’d like to pay tribute to all the people who fought so hard against this application. It’s taken hundreds of hours of wading through documents and regulations to arrive at this day.
“The dedication of the team was awe inspiring. Diolch yn fawr pawb!”
