Swansea Council has been asked to quash planning consent for 56 affordable homes on common land which campaigners say is home to a diverse range of species. Friends of West Cross Common, in tandem with the Gower Society, has handed a letter to the council under a process called judicial review setting out its grounds for challenge.
The council's planning committee approved the 56-home scheme on Clyne Common by six votes to four at a meeting in March. The two-hectare plot, north of Chestnut Avenue and west of Mulberry Avenue, West Cross, is also a designated site of important nature conservation. There were around 60 letters of objection but council planning officers recommended approval, saying that the development would comply with and improve the character of the land, improve access to the wider common, and provide much-needed affordable homes in the west of Swansea.
Friends of West Cross Common and the Gower Society allege that the council didn't follow its own procedures in granting planning permission, and they are worried that building on common land would set a precedent. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
