Character fears over Betws village plan (From South Wales Guardian)

Character fears over Betws village plan

5:40pm Saturday 19th May 2012 in News

THE character of Betws village would disappear if a whole raft of planning applications was approved by Carmarthenshire county council, local councillors have warned.

Members of Betws community council fear that traffic hazards, congestion and an overloaded sewage system would be the end result were the local authority to press ahead with the Local Development Plan in its entirety.

Outlining a report from the council’s planning sub-committee, Cllr Anne Sizmur said: “We feel the character of the village would disappear if all this building was allowed.

“The authorities should consider the lack of infrastructure plus the fact there would be an inevitable increase in traffic.

“Traffic hazards would certainly multiply, as would congestion, and the sewerage provision is not being monitored – it is beyond comprehension that what was considered suitable 20 years ago is still considered suitable today.”

Cllr Annette Price also questioned whether the village’s “archaic and Victorian” sewerage system could cope -– and warned that Betws was already becoming divided.

“Some of the houses at the top of Ffordd y Glowr could have come from a crescent in Bath or Bristol,” she claimed. “The new people in the village drive off to work at 9am and don’t come back until the evening – we’re not creating a community spirit here at all.”

Community clerk Cerith Griffiths described the Plan as “a wishlist” and said many of the proposed developments might not come to fruition.

Cllr Sizmur said any observations on the report had to be lodged with the local authority by June 8.