“Homeless people living in glorified shipping containers near the school”, Powys councillor slams plans

Controversial plans for seven self-contained modular dwelling units for emergency homeless people in Llandrindod Wells, have been submitted.

The single story units would be used for homeless or temporary housing on a brownfield site adjacent to Powys County Council County Hall car park and near to Cefnllys Primary School.

The units will provide single person one bedroom self-contained accommodation with a view to reducing the local authority’s use of temporary B&B accommodation.

Buildings surrounding the site include Powys Council's County Hall to the south, the previously used government offices to the north west and Ysgol Cefnllys primary school to the north east.

The land previously accommodated DSO and Powys County Council's Archive buildings which were demolished in 2020. The site has been disused since then.

The layout of the modular units has been based on a 7.3m x 3.2m 1 bed/1 bath unit as provided by MAC Container Company Ltd of Essex.

The units will be provided to building regulation standards for dwellings and are fully constructed with all interior and exterior finishes, fixtures and fittings prior to delivery on site.

Each modular unit will be manufactured off-site and delivered to site substantially constructed, requiring minimal foundations and service infrastructure.

The units' walls and roof would be steel sheet cladding or fibre cement cladding and the doors and windows would be UPVC.

There would be existing car park lighting and new low energy down lighters and the proposal is to connect to the existing drainage system.

No additional car park spaces within the site will be provided but access for emergency vehicles would be maintained by using the existing vehicular access to enter the site if required or from the car park area or adjacent main road.

A new hedge is proposed to be planted to the raised bank to the north east boundary of the site to increase privacy and noise reduction to the car park area.

The whole site is bounded by wooden fencing with a hedge to the northern boundary against the road. This is a cut 1.5m high ornamental species-poor hedge and will remain as part of the development.

Llandrindod Wells Town Council considered the application by Adam Johnstone at a recent meeting.

Councillor Neil Bastow said: “I have had a lot of complaints from Cefnllys School, it is not ideal to have homeless people living in glorified shipping containers near the school and they are very concerned about it.”

He said he had heard Powys County Councillor Pete Roberts was looking into the application and possibly will be calling it in for council consideration.

Llandrindod Wells Mayor Councillor Steve Deeks-D'Silva said he would like more information on it.

“It is very vague. I used to drive down a road in Wales with temporary traffic lights and they were there for 21 years. How long is temporary,” he asked

Town clerk Jane Johnston said two or three residents of Woodlands had rung her concerned about visibility, they were advised that they could object and to contact Councillor Roberts.

The town council agreed not to make an official comment but they will ask whether the application will be called in by Powys County Council.