Members of Carmarthenshire's planning committee are being “held hostage” by UK-wide planning guidelines, according to one county councillor.

Speaking at a meeting organised by Cymdeithas Yr Iaith on Saturday, Tycroes councillor Calum Higgins, called for increased powers at a local level as the fear of hefty legal and appeal costs meant members were less likely to reject large-scale housing development applications.

Cllr Higgins said that the possibility of decisions being overturned on appeal - and the subsequent costs- left councillors feeling that "their hands are tied" by national guidelines, which failed to consider the impact on small communities and the Welsh language.

“The planning committee meets monthly and quite often councillors find themselves with no legal reason why they can turn down a big development application because national guidelines do not include impact on the community and language,” said Cllr Higgins, who is Labour's candidate for the Carmarthen East and Dinefwr constituency in the forthcoming general election.

“Councillors feel that they are held hostage. If they turn down an application which is then overturned on appeal, Carmarthenshire Council ends up paying the appeal costs.

“With more local power councillors will be able to make more appropriate decision for the communities we represent.

“That is why we all need to lobby the Minister, so that we have a planning system that recognises local needs.

“The decisions should be made from the bottom up, and not the top down.”

Cllr Higgins also welcomed the news that the Welsh Government was considering making amendments to the Draft Planning Bill to be considered by the Welsh Assembly in the coming months.

The move follows an intervention from Council leader Kevin Madge, who criticised the lack of status for the Welsh Language in the first draft of the new Planning Bill.

The Bill aims to enable communities across Wales to benefit from a streamlined system which will support the delivery of the homes, jobs and infrastructure that Wales requires.

Ahead of the announcement of the Bill, Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant said: “Planning is at the heart of our communities, from building an extension on a house to building a new local school.

"The introduction of this Bill is the beginning of an exciting period for planning in Wales and I will soon be putting in place additional measures to ensure that the Bill’s objectives are met in full.

“I look forward to seeing these reforms, coupled with a ‘can do’ culture across the planning sector, providing a system which can make a positive and lasting impact on our communities.”

The final version of the new Planning Bill is expected to be put before the Assembly this year.