A DEVELOPMENT that will provide nine affordable homes in a village has been approved at the third time it came before councillors in three years. 

The application for 15 properties – including nine affordable homes – at Little Mill, near Pontypool was set to be approved by councillors when they met in June. 

The plans for a field at Ty Gwyn Road have been delayed since 2021 while a solution to phosphates from new housing entering local rivers was found. 

But when the application came back before Monmouthshire County Council’s planning committee in June councillors said boundary changes meant Llanbadoc Community Council should be given the opportunity to comment, as well as the county councillor for the area. 

The community council held a special meeting and outlined a number of concerns and county councillor for Llanbadoc and Usk, Tony Kear, told the committee he couldn’t support the application. 

The Conservative said there hadn’t been data provided to show “much needed” affordable housing was required in Little Mill or that housing association Pobl, which will provide the homes for social rent, will prioritise local people. 

He also complained about the council’s current planning policy, which earmarked 15 sites that could be developed with 60 per cent affordable housing funded by 40 per cent open market housing, meaning there is no money through section 106 legal agreements for community benefits. 

He said the village hall requires new doors and the multi use games area is in need of replacement. 

Cllr Kear suggested if the site was developed under the council’s proposed policy of a 50/50 split of affordable and market housing there would be money available for community benefits. 

The council’s head of planning Craig O’Connor said there are more than 2,000 people on the council’s housing waiting list which he called “significant” and said the site has been allocated for affordable housing in the current development plan, while the 50/50 policy in the proposed replacement plan “has to be tested”. 

He also said a legal test for section 106 agreements has to be met and that is they are needed to make a development acceptable. He said: “Asking for improvements to village halls does not meet the test and there is significant evidence of a housing crisis and need in Monmouthshire.” 

The committee was told houses will be allocated in line with Monmouthshire’s rural allocation policy with priority for Llanbadoc and surrounding areas.

Conservative councillor for Goetre Fawr, Jan Butler, said she supported the application but thought there are “far too many” four bedroom homes being built locally when she said the need is for two or three bed properties. 

The site will have six four-bedroom detached houses for sale on the open market and four three-bedroom semi-detached affordable houses, three two-bedroom semi-detached affordable houses and two, two-bedroom ‘walk up’ flats that would also be affordable.   

Cllr Butler said: “I do support this application. I know people in my village, which is nearby, who will jump for these homes.” 

Other issues raised at the meeting included its proximity to the railway track, but the committee was told the homes will be a suitable distance away, and a lack of a walking and cycling route from the site to New Inn train station and employment sites, but planners said constraints on the site meant that wasn’t possible. 

The application was approved with 11 votes in favour and two against