Snowdonia appeal over rejected homeless plan for old school

The building has been empty for more than a decade

A council has launched an appeal after a national park refused it permission to demolish a former school to build emergency housing for homeless people.

Snowdonia's planning committee cited parking and privacy issues if Hen Ysgol Glanwnion in Dolgellau was pulled down.

Gwynedd council says the building has lain empty for more than 10 years and claims its homelessness service "cannot cope" unless more flats are built.

The matter is now set to be decided by Welsh government planning inspectors.

Snowdonia's planning committee rejected the proposal in April against the advice of its own officers, backing local people opposing the loss of "a building of significant historic and cultural importance to the town".

Dolgellau Town Council also objected on grounds of overdevelopment and pressure on local services, and whether the proposed use was "really suitable for the site and locality".

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However, Gwynedd council's appeal to the Planning Inspectorate notes that the former school was last in use more than 10 years ago as a community support centre and library, and that it had not been included on Cadw's national register of listed buildings.

The council wants to replace it with five supported-living flats and office space to ease the pressure on its homelessness services.

"Between April and Christmas in 2020, 104 homeless applications were received from Meirionnydd residents and over the previous financial year 170 applications were received," Gwynedd council said.

"The numbers continue to increase weekly and the council are currently unable to cope with offering suitable accommodation to these individuals, couples and families, which isn't an acceptable situation."

The school would be replaced by a new development of emergency accommodation and office space

The council added that in February 2021 it had 27 individuals, couples and families in emergency accommodation in Meirionnydd, eight of them with just a bedroom to live in.

"This does not provide an acceptable living environment for residents facing such a situation," it said.

"The desire to protect a traditional building must be weighed against the urgent need to provide short to medium term accommodation for vulnerable single occupants who are in urgent need for housing."

The Snowdonia National Park Authority has been approached for comment by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It is expected that the Planning Inspectorate will make a decision by the autumn.