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Rural house extension in Gwynedd 'more suited to Beverly Hills'

Gwynedd Council Tan y MynyddGwynedd Council
Tan y Mynydd [the white property on the left] would have been significantly extended under the plans

Plans to extend a cottage overlooking a coastal town have been rejected, with councillors describing them as "more suited to Beverly Hills".

Officers had recommended approving the plans for Tan y Mynydd at Mynydd Nefyn, in Gwynedd.

But members objected to the visual impact and said it would "open the floodgates" for similar developments.

Some councillors warned the area was becoming overdeveloped, with local people unable to buy their own homes.

Officers said the plans would "significantly expand the footprint of the home", bought last year for £330,000, but did not feel it would cause undue visual harm.

Applicant Claire Bevan stressed the family's links to the area, saying: "This is our forever home and our dream, looking forward to many more years in the community."

She said the extension would integrate into the landscape and that the building had started falling into disrepair.

Gwynedd Council Planning images for Tan y MynyddGwynedd Council
The house as it is now (left) and with the proposed extension (right)

However, councillor Gruff Williams, who represents Nefyn, pointed to opposition from Nefyn Town Council, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW), and the council's officer for the Llyn Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), from which the property can be seen.

"The would damage the very area we should be protecting and open the floodgates for rising house prices, which has already happened after the Plas Pistyll debacle," Mr Williams said.

"Are we going to end up driving locals out of Nefyn so that some people can secure their dream home? People are furious."

Plas Pistyll, a derelict hotel in Nefyn, had been demolished to make way for holiday chalets although planning officers subsequently changed the terms to allow year-round occupation.

Another councillor, Seimon Glyn, stressed the role of planning in protecting the Welsh language and local people as well as the landscape, believing approval would cause "a race" to snap up more of the hillside properties for similar developments.

Members voted by 11 votes to one to refuse the plans, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.