The monthly meeting of Bridgend Council’s Planning Committee was held last week (which you can watch here).
There were three applications up for discussion, but the meeting was dominated by an application to change the use of the Bryant Centre in Nantymoel from a nursery to a food outlet (pdf).
Under the proposal, the building will be used as a kitchen/staff area and collection point, with a sit-down area in an enclosed outdoor space where customers can buy food from a van.
What ought to have been a straightforward application was complicated by issues around the status of the building itself.
It was donated for general community use in the 1970s by a local businessman, Ray Bryant, before being converted to a nursery. It’s been used as an outlet selling fruit and vegetables more recently, so the application is retrospective to an extent and a change of use isn’t unprecedented.
The confusion stems from whether it can be used for a business in the first place, or whether there’s a restriction that means it can only be used for community use (as donated). The centre has been managed by trustees but there’s very little information about them or input (though they could be exempt from certain requirements).
Building “is on the council’s land, but isn’t the council’s”
This has been picked up by planning officers, but in the report, they suggest objectors haven’t provided evidence that the loss of the facility wouldn’t be met by similar facilities elsewhere – such as a Welsh-medium childcare centre further down the Ogmore valley at Blackmill.
Committee member, Cllr. Della Hughes (Ind, Ogmore Vale) – who had noted her concerns about these issues – determined that she wouldn’t be able to make an objective decision and withdrew from the meeting.
An officer explained that the “building is on council land but the building isn’t the council’s” and even BCBC didn’t have full details around ownership, trustees etc. That wasn’t deemed to be material to the application itself and those issues will be resolved outside the planning process.
Due to its proximity to the Ogwr Fawr, flooding is more of a concern in 2022 than in the 1970s, with retail use deemed to be less risky than community use or a nursery.
Despite concerns, the Committee approved the application unanimously. The consent will only last for three years. The outdoor seating area will have to close at 8 pm and takeaways will need to stop at 10 pm.
