A planning inspector visited a field in Gower to look at a gate, and has now had the final say in a planning row which attracted the attention of an MP. It started after farmer Mark Button doubled the width of the gate - removing some hedgerow in the process - which he said was done for road safety reasons.
The gate accesses a field on a corner on the main road between Rhossili and Scurlage, at Middleton. According to Mr Button, turning left with a tractor and trailer into the field meant having to encroach on the right side of the carriageway.
He then sought retrospective planning permission from Swansea Council for the work carried out, saying there had been a number of near-miss accidents. Several people supported the application. There were also objections, partly because the gate-widening had been done without consent, and partly because objectors felt a better option would be a recessed access to the field with just a single gate. Concerns were also raised that the field could be used for car parking. You can read more stories about Swansea here.
