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The Planning Committee considered three planning and listed building applications on 3 February 2026. It deferred a plan to convert a house at 90 Springfield Street, Morriston, into six letting rooms so that officers can report on reasons for refusal about parking. It approved listed building consent for internal alterations at New Bethel Church, Carnglas Road, Sketty, with an added condition, and approved the conversion of 1 Oxford Street, Swansea, into 29 flats.
In accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the City and County of Swansea, no interests were declared.
Resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 13 January 2026 be approved and signed as a correct record.
None.
A series of planning applications were presented on behalf of the Head of Planning & City Regeneration. Amendments/updates to this schedule were reported and are indicated below by (#). (Note: Updates to the report referred to below were circulated to Members of the Committee and published on the Council’s website prior to the meeting.) 1) Resolved that the undermentioned planning application be deferred: #(Item 1) - Planning Application 2025/1508/FUL - Change of use from a residential dwelling to six individual letting bedrooms, with a new window is proposed on the right (south) elevation at ground floor level at 90 Springfield Street, Morriston, Swansea Note: Recommendation of approval not accepted Application Deferred under the two stage voting process to allow for a further report to be brought to a future Planning Committee outlining the reasons for refusal relating to inadequate parking to serve the development. A site visit had been undertaken to the application site on the afternoon before the meeting. Prior to deferral: A visual presentation was given. Eleanor Cuthill (objector) addressed the committee and spoke against the application. Migkel Keivani (applicant) addressed the committee and spoke in support of the application. Councillor A Williams (Local Member) addressed the committee and spoke against the application. Report updated as follows: Mike Hedges MS has provided late representations objecting to the proposal: There are substantial car parking problems. Increasing the number of letting bedrooms will only increase the number of vehicles parking. These matters are already addressed within the Committee report. 2) Resolved that the undermentioned planning application be approved in accordance with the recommendation, subject to an additional condition being added: Within one month of the Listed Building Consent being granted, a full itemised programme of works shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The programme of works shall set out an appropriate timescale for the internal alterations and adaptations of the building within an agreeable period of time to ensure restoration and preservation of the historic asset. The works shall then be carried out in accordance with the approved programme and within the approved timescale. Reason: To ensure a timely progression of the works to restore the historic asset and to accord with Policies PS2, HC1 and HC2 of the Swansea Local Development Plan 2010-2025. #(Item 2) - Planning Application 2025/0680/LBC - Internal alterations and adaptations to form a Youth Activity Centre, part time Education Centre and a Place of Worship for the teaching of the Islamic Faith (application for Listed Building Consent) at New Bethel Church, Carnglas Road Sketty, Swansea A visual presentation was given. Neil Watkins (objector) addressed the committee and spoke against the application. Phil Johnson (agent for the applicant) addressed the committee and spoke in support of the application. Councillor A M Day (Local Member) addressed the committee and spoke against the application. Report updated as follows: A late representation has been received stating the following: Further to my previous email, I've now had the opportunity to read the Officer's report, and I'm looking for guidance on what seems to be a missing piece of the jigsaw that's led to the positive recommendation. The report references four PRA's viz 2002/1138, 2009/0340, 2009/0341 & 2024/1500. 2002/1138 was an LBC applic. for 'Alterations to existing access and provision of 1.46m high double gates' (no plans available online) - no internal works; 2009/0340 was a plg. app. for 'Single storey front extension and side porch, front ramped access, steps and handrail with provision of 5 car parking spaces', - in which the plans show that the proposed works exclude the chapel; 2009/0341 was an LBC applic. mirroring 2009/0340, and hence again excluding the chapel area; 2024/1500 was an LBC applic. for 'Proposed retaining wall to existing boundary' - External works excluding the chapel. Also a BoC Notice has been served, relating to LBC 2024/1500 (external works); & a Enf Notice re the unauthorised CoU to residential, which refers to the failure of the unauthorised use preserving or enhancing the building. However, in the report reference is made to previous permissions & consents, with the statement that “All previous projects where pew removal has been consented have included listed building consent conditions requiring either retention of some original pews and/ or repurposing of some pew timbers within the building.” Can I have the references and details of the planning permission(s) and LBC consent(s) which have expressly consented the removal of pews and other protected internal features, and which have effectively set the precedent for the current recommendation of LB Consent? Further to this, I would ask if all the conditions on the consent(s) re the recording of identified internal structures to be removed, the supervision of their removal and storage, have been complied with? However, if the Com Rep is accurate, and no LBC exists for internal works, surely the premise of precedent predicating the proposed LBC is compromised? Your help will be appreciated, Ian! I'm copying in the General Planning email box to ensure the issue is able to be addressed before Committee; & the local residents involved, to keep them in the loop as interested parties. A response was provided by the LPA stating: The planning and listed building reference numbers feature are on pages 27 and 33 of the report. These relate to the Planning and Listed Building Consent history for New Bethel Chapel. The reference in bold regarding previous pew removal consents is from page 34 of the report and is in relation to consents granted at other listed buildings. The full extract from the report is below in italics and the relevant planning and listed building consent reference numbers and descriptions have been added: The proposed use of the building does not require the fixed pew seating. Other listed buildings have been granted consent to remove pews such as: • New Siloh Chapel (grade II* listed) - pew removal consented at ground floor level to facilitate modern religious use as flexible community space (work implemented). 2016/3119/LBC | Interior works comprising the removal of the pulpit and majority of ground floor pews, installation of 18no. heaters, replacement of existing toilet with 4no. new toilets and provision of a free-standing kitchen area (application for Listed Building Consent) | Siloh Chapel Pentre Treharne Road Landore Swansea SA1 2PN Conditions discharged and works implemented to remove ground floor pews and repurpose timbers • Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (grade II* listed) - pew removal consented at ground floor level to facilitate modern religious use as flexible community space. (work implemented). 2020/2322/LBC | Creation of new ramped access, new access doors to West elevation, addition of glass baluster and glass door, relocation of existing signs and addition of one new sign with external illumination, the removal of the chapel hall pews, the provisional of a new external power and lighting scheme. (application for Listed Building Consent) | Mount Pleasant Baptist Church The Kingsway City Centre Swansea SA1 5LF Conditions discharged and works implemented to remove ground floor pews and repurpose timbers • Capel Bethel, Llansamlet (grade II listed) - pew removal consented at ground floor level to facilitate modern religious use as flexible community space. (work implemented). 2023/1067/LBC | Removal of pews to ground floor (application for Listed Building Consent) | Bethel Chapel Bethel Road Llansamlet Swansea SA7 9QP Conditions discharged. • Former Brynhyfryd Chapel (grade II listed) pew removal at ground floor and balcony level consented with addition of new first floor as conversion to Mosque. (work implemented). 2014/0775 | Retention and completion of removal of pews and construction of internal partitions to provide area for children's day nursery (application for Listed Building Consent) | Brynhyfryd Chapel Bryn Terrace Landore Swansea 2021/0219/FUL | Creation of additional floor, replacement external toilet block and conversion of former Sunday School building to 2 no. one bedroom apartments with new entrance and associated repair works | Brynhyfryd Chapel Bryn Terrace Landore Swansea SA5 9LH Conditions discharged and works implemented to remove floor pews and repurpose timbers • Bethel Chapel, Penclawdd (grade II listed) - pew removal consented with internal subdivision to convert to homes. (work not implemented and consent lapsed). 2017/2050/LBC | Conversion of existing chapel (Old Bethel Chapel) into five dwellings including demolition of existing front ramp and rear wall, demolition of parts of front wall to create space for one external staircase, remove windows on west elevation and replace with windows on first floor and doors on ground floor, remove windows on east elevation and replace with windows on first floor and three windows and two doors with steps on ground floor, remove existing ground floor window and lower sill for new door to House 5 on east elevation, open up internal wall and remove door on the ground floor, remove internal partitions and screen on ground floor, remove internal raised floor at ground level, remove existing pulpit, alter and pews at ground floor level, lower tiers of gallery at first floor retained with localised structural alterations, upper tiers of gallery to be removed, existing altar organ to be removed, internal doors to be removed on first and second floors, create openings in roof for nine new roof lights, installation of new wall partitions, doors and staircases in ground and first floors, creation of second floor, new external steps to entrance door of House 1, new paths, new boundary treatment comprising of retaining walls with fencing, gravelled parking areas, pillar at entrance point removed to allow entrance to be widened, decking with stair accesses serving properties on west elevation, new metal railings, removal of existing floorboards, ceiling and wall finishings, engineered oak flooring, re-rendering, removal of existing finishings, boarded, plastered and painted ceiling finishings. Refurbishment of Barnham House including creation of new openings and removal of windows and doors and replacement with windows and doors, three dormers, removal of chimney and new balcony area with walkway to parking area. Landscaping to create private gardens and car parking spaces for each dwelling and associated works. (Application for Listed Building Consent) | Bethel Independent Chapel And Barham House Bethel Lane Penclawdd Swansea SA4 3FP No conditions discharged, no works commended and application has now lapsed. All previous projects where pew removal has been consented have included listed building consent conditions requiring either retention of some original pews and/ or repurposing of some pew timbers within the building These references in relation to works at other listed buildings are provided for information, and the report assesses the acceptability of the proposed pew removal at New Bethel Capel. The recommendation includes a condition requiring recording prior to any works, reinstatement of some of the pews and agreed repurposing of other pew timbers. A further late representation was received from a local resident stating: I have now been able to study all of the 118 public objections lodged against this Bethel application. The reasons given by the overwhelming majority of objectors are not the religious beliefs of the applicants but practical concerns that would undermine the case and credibility of any applicant putting forward such proposals while demonstrating the same scant respect for the chapel’s Listed Building status, Swansea Council’s planning rules and, it appears, even public safety. The applicants’ Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), submitted last October, is littered with mistakes and misleading or questionable statements, as highlighted in a number of objections. It wrongly claimed the chapel and cemetery "have been unused for 8 years" (since 2017) though we know the Chapel only closed due to Covid in 2020, and burials have continued in the cemetery; it even gets the year when Bethel was sold wrong: it was 2024, not 2022. With such sloppy errors, can you rely on the rest of the document? A chainsaw was used to rip out historic wooden pews used by generations of worshippers in a Listed Building until a passer-by tipped off the Council who stopped the vandalism. (See photos attached.) The HIA says coyly "The client (a local property developer) was not aware of the consequence and important of the pews." This strains credulity. And it’s now just emerged that this “client” was wrongly named on the LBC application as Bethel’s owner - a serious criminal offence, we understand - yet no action is apparently to be taken over either breach despite case law existing on not rewarding illegal works or behaviour. Bethel’s owners have also allowed someone to live illegally in the chapel annexe for months, with Swansea Council finally issuing an Enforcement Notice last month to have him removed (but no-one will be prosecuted, it seems). In March 2022 the former Trustees told me in writing they planned to sell Bethel, after part of the chapel ceiling fell down during the Covid lockdown. An engineers' report found "that the chapel and vestry were structurally unsound and not safe for public use." The estimated £500,000 cost of repairs triggered the decision to sell up. So have those repairs been made and is this historic building now safe? Many of those 118 objections, though, focus primarily on fears of disastrous consequences from the increased traffic the conversion would generate, with no extra parking available on-site or near the main Carnglas Road entrance, and the obvious danger of serious accidents for children or adults emerging onto a busy road with no pavement. We are told this is irrelevant to the application so Highways were not consulted. Will the Council really wait for a serious accident to occur, before acting? We would strongly urge the committee to undertake a Site Visit to consider all these factors, and to meet concerned residents before making any decision. Objectors are very grateful to the Council's planners for their sterling efforts in setting strict conditions to ensure the applicants fulfil their obligations, if consent is granted. Their vigilance will certainly still be needed to ensure no repeat of previous bad practices. LPA Comment: The majority of the issues raised above have already been addressed in the Officer’s report. No issues of structural safety have been raised during the listed building consent application. There are issues of water ingress that have been noted, and a condition is suggested to ensure like for like repairs. The LPA would not pursue any further formal action until the application has been formally determined. Separate enforcement action is being pursued at the site, but this is not a material consideration for the determination of this listed building application. 3) Resolved that the undermentioned planning application be approved: (Item 3) - Planning Application 2025/1791/FUL - Conversion, refurbishment and extension of existing building to create a modern re-purposed building comprising 29 no. residential apartments, reconfigured McDonalds unit to occupy ground floor and basement level (currently ground floor and first floor), retained Taco Bell unit, new commercial unit on ground floor and associated works at 1 Oxford Street, Swansea A visual presentation was given. Phil Baxter (agent for the applicant) addressed the committee and spoke in support of the application.
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