A proposal to add 10 seasonal touring caravan pitches to an existing caravan park in the Llŷn Peninsula has been refused by Cyngor Gwynedd’s planning committee.
The application concerned Fferm Tir Glyn Caravan Park near Uwchmynydd, close to Aberdaron, and was considered by the council’s planning committee on Monday, September 7. The proposal sought permission to change the use of an agricultural field to accommodate 10 seasonal touring caravan pitches operating from March through October.
The application also included plans for a toilet and shower block, soft landscaping improvements, a new entrance and exit, and a wastewater treatment plant.
Fferm Tir Glyn already has permission for 39 touring caravans on fields to the north and northeast of the proposed development area. Planning permission also exists on land north of the application site for the year-round storage of up to 15 touring caravans.
The wider property includes agricultural buildings, outbuildings and two residential dwellings and is operated as a dairy farm. The site is located in open countryside within the Llŷn Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the Llŷn and Enlli Landscape of Outstanding Historic Interest. Part of the property is also within the Porth Meudwy wildlife site and a Flood Zone.
Planning officers raised concerns about the potential effect of the additional pitches on the character and quality of the AONB. The proposal was also considered insufficiently integrated with its open countryside setting.
Access and highway conditions were additional considerations, according to Herald.Wales. Officers said there was “potential for mud and loose material to be spilled onto the public highway” and a “possibility of damage to the roadsides due to increased traffic.”
A lack of supporting information was also central to the recommendation. In particular, officers said that “no flood risk or drainage assessments” had been submitted. Council officials said the potential effects of development within the Flood Zone needed to be assessed before permission could be granted.
Fiona Roberts, the applicant’s daughter-in-law, told the committee that the dairy farm is operated by a local Welsh-speaking family that has provided camping facilities since the 1960s, including accommodation for Girl Guides, the Boys’ Brigade and Scouts.
She described the proposed field as “small and narrow” and said the family was finding it difficult to operate and maintain it according to modern agricultural standards. Roberts also argued that the field was “already well screened and private and not in a prominent location to affect the landscape”.
“Screening was not required as the site was in a low level position below the road,” she said, while also suggesting the use of an existing access.
Roberts said the additional accommodation would support the farm’s “overall productivity” and “benefit us as a family helping to diversify, create greater financial stability and contribute to the wider local economy”.
Local member Councillor Gareth Williams said the property was a 70-acre dairy farm “at the far end of Pen Llyn” and had operated a caravan site since 1950. He told the committee that “there is strong demand for more pitches there”.
Williams acknowledged that the absence of a drainage statement was “a fair point” but said the applicant was “happy to commission one”. He also called for support for “a local farming family, working hard to keep the family farm and next generation going”.
Cllr Louise Hughes said she considered the local member’s points “extremely pertinent” and urged the committee “to do the utmost to help farmers who are absolutely up against it”.
Committee members considered requests for additional time to provide the missing information and for a site visit, but both were rejected.
Gareth Jones, the council’s head of environment, outlined the reasons behind the planning recommendation, including insufficient information, potential effects on the AONB and concerns about the site entrance. He described the entrance as “substandard” but acknowledged that an alternative solution using the existing access might be possible.
Jones said he was “not aware of additional information supplied” concerning the existing entrance, although he said it was “possible there was a solution”.
On the Flood Zone issue, Jones said, “there has been no assessment of the impacts, we must understand these before we can approve”.
Cllr Dafydd Meurig proposed refusal on the basis that the application was “not a full or complete application,” and the committee subsequently refused the proposal.
For caravan and farm diversification operators, the decision highlights the importance of addressing environmental, drainage and highway requirements alongside the commercial case for additional pitches. While existing tourism operations and demand can support diversification arguments, planning authorities may still require site-specific assessments before determining whether new accommodation is appropriate, particularly in designated landscapes and areas subject to flood risk.
