PLANS for new shops in Llandeilo have been re-submitted after they were turned down by Carmarthenshire County Council.

Matthew Hickman had applied for full planning to convert two flats at 3 Market Street Llandeilo, into two new retail units but permission was refused by the council as the frontage would have been ‘significantly detrimental’ to the character of the building and surrounding conservation area.

They also stated that if allowed the new shop front would set ‘an undesirable precedent for the proliferation of such developments and that ‘the formation of new shop frontage is not considered in keeping with the architectural integrity or external appearance of the building or its immediate surrounding area.’

The plans were turned down in November following a meeting of full council.

In the re-submission, those points have been countered by Mr Hicks who sates that the plans would be in keeping with the local area.

The applications states that the immediate surrounding landscapes will not alter and that the conversion to shops would not affect the surroundings as the area is predominately populated with small boutique shops and that the property will be more in keeping with the surrounding area by the change of use.

The report also states that ‘the small boutique shops in Llandeilo are what help make Llandeilo very special and unique.’

“The expansion of the shop will obviously only strengthen the economy of this town,” states the report. “The proposed change of use involves little intervention to the existing building other than restoring a sympathetic and traditional shop frontage.”

The conversion of the currently empty flats- that had once been shops- would incorporate the use of local builders and locally sourced material.

The shop frontage would be in keeping with the original designs historically used on the building.