Gwynedd residents 'incensed' by Plas Pistyll chalets plan changes
A row has broken out between Gwynedd councillors and officers amid claims plans for a housing development have gone "way beyond" what was approved by elected members.
Demolition of the derelict Plas Pistyll hotel near Nefyn to make way for 36 chalets was approved in 2012. But "incensed" opponents claim original permission for holiday use has been changed to allow permanent homes. A senior officer said his team had used delegated powers appropriately. Developer Natural Retreats claims the scheme will bring around £1m a year to the local economy, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. A report to Gwynedd's communities scrutiny committee revealed that since councillors approved the main proposal in 2012, officers had used delegated powers to approve six separate bids to change the terms of approval. Campaigners have raised concerns that a condition restricting use of the properties to no more than three months of the year had been removed. This had created "a general feeling that local people, the area's culture and the Welsh language were not protected", the report said. Councillor Gruffydd Williams, who represents Nefyn, told the committee people were "incensed", saying: "It was never made clear how large in scale these changes were." Scrutiny committee chair Seimon Glyn said officers should have referred such "far-reaching" changes back to councillors. "Surely alarm bells should have rung at some point?" he asked. In response, Gwynedd council's head of environment Dafydd Williams said he believed planning officers had acted appropriately. "Unless officers are informed by the local member or community council as to why these issues should be investigated, how are officers meant to know how controversial plans like these are?" Officers have been asked to prepare a more detailed report on the matter to be discussed again by the committee in February.