Llandudno/Conwy District Plan

INTRODUCTION

The Purpose of the District Plan

While the County Structure Plan, in setting out strategic policies, provides the framework for local plans, local plans in turn provide necessary further guidance for development control at a more detailed, local level.

Thus the two basic functions of the Llandudno-Conwy District Plan are:

1. To develop the policy and general proposals of the County Structure Plan and to relate them to precise areas of land within the plan area, and,
2. To provide a detailed basis for development control

In addition, the District Plan aims to:

3. Set out the local planning authorities' policy towards the development and the use of land and their proposals for change, and indicates the means by which such proposals may be implemented,
4. Provide a detailed basis for co-coordinating public and private development and the use of land and expenditure,
5. Develop programmes for positive action and provide a Stimulus and guidelines to the private sector, and,
6. Bring local, detailed planning issues before the public, explaining to individuals and interest groups how they will be affected and where the opportunities for action lie.

Plan Preparation and Adoption

The plan was prepared jointly under Section 11 (3) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971, by Aberconwy Borough Council and Gwynedd County Council under the guidance of a Joint Sub-Committee of Members representing both authorities. It will be adopted by the County Council as far as that a portion of the Plan Area which lies within the Snowdonia National Park is concerned, and by the Borough Council with regard to the rest of the Plan Area.

Relationship to other plans

The Gwynedd County Structure Plan is comprised of plans for the constituent former counties of Anglesey, Caernarvonshire and Merioneth, plus Dyffryn Conwy. These were submitted to the Secretary of State for Wales in 1974 and approved on the 29th July 1977.

The Caernarvonshire Structure Plan proposed that a local (district) plan should be prepared for the Llandudno/Conwy area as one of the three growth centres identified with the County.

The part of the plan area lying within the Snowdonia National Park is also subject to the policies and proposals of the National Park Plan as approved by the National park committee in March 1977. Transportation proposals promoted in the local plan will bi included in the County Council's Transport Policies and Programme document, which is subject to annual review.

In addition, certain policies and proposals affecting the area will be found in local (subject) plans produced for the county as a whole, for example , the Touring Caravans and Tents Local (Subject) Plan. Other local plans, such as the action area plans referred to in the Structure Plan, the Great Orme Country Park Management Plan, future proposals for the enhancement and improvement of Conwy Conservation Area, and more detailed supplementary planning guidance must all be read in conjunction with this District Plan.

This District Plan supersedes within the Plan Area all the provisions of the County Development plan for Caernarvonshire and the County Development Plan for Denbighshire.

The Plan Area

The Plan Area includes the entire Creuddyn Peninsula, extending eastwards as far as the Gwynedd/Clwyd county Boundary, westwards to Conwy Mountain, and to Glan Conwy to the south.

It includes the town council areas of Llandudno and Conwy together with a substantial part of the community council areas of Henryd and Llansantffraid Glan Conwy. The area contains the settlements of Conwy, Craig-y-Don, Deganwy, Dolwyd, Esgyryn, Glanwydden, Groesffordd, Gyffin, Hendre, Iolyn Park, Llandudno, Llandudno Junction, Llangwstenin, Llanrhos, Llansantffraid Glan Conwy, Nant-y-Gamar, Penrhyn Bay, Penrhynside, Pydew and Tywyn.

Essentially, the Plan Area is a fairly densely populated coastal belt which Has developed around the lowest bridging point of the River Conwy. Llandudno occupies a low-lying isthmus between limestone outcrops of the Great and Little Ormes and a broken line of hills stretching inland from the Little Orme, these prominent topographical features have served to contain urban development within well-defined areas. Around Conwy there is a wide variety of landscape features: the sand dunes of Morfa Conwy, the river estuary and the edge of the uplands of the National Park.

Historical Development

The town of Conwy was founded in 1283 and the origin of the settlement lies in the military significance of its site on a rocky knoll at the confluence of the Rivers Conwy and Gyffin. The military function of Conwy gradually changed to an economic base, the town becoming the economic focus of the lower Conwy Valley. The mediaeval town was designed to be approached by water from the east and a major influence on the form and structure of Conwy was the construction of the Cob and road bridge over the River Conwy by Thomas Telford in the period between 1822 and 1826. Robert Stephenson's tubular bridge, completed in 1848, was constructed to carry the railway from Chester to Holyhead across the Conwy estuary.

Llandudno is essentially a Victorian town and was planned from the outset by the Mostyn family as a seaside resort. Prior to this Victorian development, Llandudno was merely a small hamlet round St. Tudno's Church dependent on copper mining. To this day, Llandudno's main asset is its identity as a Victorian town by the sea, it still contains many of the typical resort characteristics, namely a traditional pier structure, decorative ironwork, elegantly wide boulevards, and ornate hotel buildings.

Beyond the historic centres of Conwy and Llandudno, the fabric of much of the rest of the Plan Area is of more recent origin with housing and industrial developments dating generally from the early part of the 20th century, giving these areas a characteristic suburban appearance. New manufacturing industry has been attracted into the area to replace the declining primary industries. The area is heavily dependent on one major private employer in the manufacturing sector and the majority of employment opportunities are in the service industries.

The tourist industry is an important source of local employment but it is one that is seasonal by nature. The scale of tourist activity is such that there are increasing problems of congestion and disruption which conflict with some of the economic benefits brought by tourism.

Problems

The detailed examination of conditions in the area summarised in the Report of Survey suggests certain basic issues which the District Plan should seek to resolve.

1. The Local Economy

   The extremely marked seasonal fluctuation in the rate of male unemployment in the area is a reflection of the major contribution which the tourist industry makes to the overall economy of the area. The rate of male unemployment in Llandudno is higher than that in the Development Area of Gwynedd and it is important to broaden the area's economic base if the young and active age groups are to be prevented from moving out of the area in search of work. Jobs in the area tend to be relatively poorly paid and all too often seasonal in nature.

2. The Environment

   The interaction between the built and natural environments makes the area one of the most distinctive in Gwynedd and this relationship should not be blurred by the location design of new developments. Both Conwy and Llandudno Conservation Areas have been accepted by the Secretary of State as outstanding in the national context and it is important that the existing character of these areas be upgraded.

3. Tourism

   The whole area is greatly influenced by the seasonal effects of tourism, with consequent benefits and costs. Whilst tourism brings about an important element of employment and source of revenue locally, its effects are relatively short-lived and the demands on the area's general infrastructure and basic services brought about by a greatly increased summer population are considerable.

Constraints and Alternatives

The District Plan is intended to provide a series of inter-related policies and proposals to direct the future development of Llandudno-Conwy in the period to 1991. The Borough and County Councils have considerable influence through their expenditure programmes, their ability to promote and to control, the purpose of the District Plan is to show how these powers will be utilised.

The issues arising from the Report of Survey indicate the relationship which exists between various facets of life in the plan area, particularly the competition between different land uses and the conflict between development and environmental considerations, natural constraints and utility service provision. Four major factors will have the most immediate impact on shaping the area's future in terms of the size of the community and its economic and social composition, these are employment, housing, tourism and the environment. Other activities which are important to the life of the area , such as transportation, shopping and recreation, are to a considerable extent dependent upon the impact of the primary influences and policy decisions taken with regard to the prime factors will have implications for future changes in the other activities.

However, there are external influences outside the control of the local authorities which will affect the extent to which their aims can be achieved. These include the national economic situation, decisions made by public agencies and private investors and social changes. In addition, the range of options open to the Borough and County Council is restricted by the current constraints upon public expenditure and the general policies of central government.

Advice from the Welsh Office indicates that only those developments which the local planning authority realistically expect will be started within a reasonable period should be formulated as proposals in a local plan, in preparing their local plans an "authority should relate the proposals as far as practicable to their forward capital programmes and those of other executive agencies" (Local Plans Note 1/78). Thus, if a realistic plan is to be prepared only firm proposals should be included.

General Aims of the Plan

As a result of the public participation exercise into the Report of Survey and the policies and proposals of the approved Structure Plan, the following key objectives can be identified.

The Local Economy

1. To allocate land and seek to provide the environmental conditions necessary for economic growth to take place in order to provide a satisfactory range of employment opportunities to meet the needs of local people,

2. To help safeguard the prosperity of existing local shops and facilitate the improvement and expansion of retailing services so as to provide full and varied facilities for residents and visitors alike.

The Environment:

1. Within the scope of planning powers, to seek to conserve the special natural, architectural and historic features of the plan area in the national, as well as the local, interest.

2. To guide and wherever possible to seek to promote the improvement of the built environment in relation to the appearance and condition of existing development in order to achieve harmony with their existing surroundings.

Housing:

1. To protect agricultural interests and the natural environment by seeking to make optimal use of the area's existing urban land, buildings of any additional land released for house building.

2. To allocate sufficient housing land to permit an increase in the housing stock of the area, which will permit population growth at a rate consistent with Structure Plan 'Growth Area' Policies.

Transport:

1. Within the scope of planning powers to endeavour to provide a transportation system which:

   1. allows for the economic and administrative activities of the main centres to function efficiently by providing solutions to the problems of car parking and traffic circulation consistent with the need to improve environmental standards, and,

   2. combines convenient access for residents and visitors to the facilities of the main centres with a choice of travel mode.

2. To ensure that maximum benefit to the transport system is derived from the proposed A55 Expressway in catering for the needs of local people and visitors, with minimum disturbance to the environment.

Tourism:

1. To guide and facilitate the development of tourism facilities, having regard to the natural, architectural and historic attributes of the area and the need to provide full-time employment opportunities and the creation of additional local income.

Recreation:

1. To allocate sufficient land in locations where agricultural interests and the natural environment are not seriously compromised to accommodate the recreational needs of resident and visitor populations in the plan area.

Shopping:

1. To facilitate the physical improvement and expansion of retailing facilities in the plan area in terms of the range and choice available,

2. To promote where possible Llandudno's function as the major shopping centre in Gwynedd.

Social and Community Facilities:

1. To allocate sufficient land in appropriate locations to permit the provision of community facilities and wherever possible seek a co-ordinated approach to their provision.

Education:

1. To ensure sufficient land is allocated in appropriate locations to provide for the educational needs of the plan area's resident population.

Public Utilities:

1. To provide an explicit land use plan for the area on which the relevant agencies can base their own programmes which will ensure adequate and effective utility services consistent with the demands of residents and visitors and the need to reduce environmental pollution.

Resources:

1. To seek to make more efficient use of the limited supply of land and buildings available for all purposes in the area,

2. To present land use policies and proposals which can realistically be implemented in a period of economic restraint and uncertainty.

The Proposals Map

This written Statement should be read in conjunction with the Proposals Map which identifies the actual areas of land affected by the policies and proposals contained in the Written statement. The Proposals Map consists of the following:

1. A key diagram covering the entire Plan Area at 1:50,000 scale,
2. Inset plans for the settlements within the Plan Area at 1:5,000 scale.

The relationship of the constituent parts is shown on the Key Diagram.

The plans indicate individual land uses only where these are the subject policy statements contained in the Written Statement. Where no land use is indicated, there will generally be a presumption in favour of the existing use unless this happens to be a non-conforming use detrimental to the amenity of a particular area.

Policies and Administrative Action

The land use and development control policies of the district plan are set out in block capitals and given a policy number within the individual chapters. Where administrative action is required, this is indicated by underlining the action to be taken.

1. POPULATION AND HOUSING

1.1. Structure Plan Growth Area

Some 32,500 people live in the plan area, the majority of the population being found in Llandudno and Conwy. The 1976 population estimates for the former local authorities in the plan area were:

Llandudno		18,160
Conwy M.B.		12,700
Remainder of area		1,720
Total		32,580

The population of both towns, and hence the study area as a whole, has been increasing steadily since 1901. This increase has occurred despite quite high 'crude' death rates which result from the imbalance in the structure of the population, which has an over-representation of the older age group. Most of the area's population increase is due to the inward migration of retired elderly persons.

The County Structure Plan recognises the problem associated with excessive retirement migration into an area but also accepts the limitations of present controls. It therefore seeks to prevent an imbalanced population structure becoming common in smaller villages and rural arrears where the impact would be greater because services are difficult to provide. Growth in retirement homes is thus to be directed as far as possible to the main urban centres. The County Structure Plan also contains more general directives that anticipated strategic population and housing growth should be concentrated around the main built-up areas, principally Llandudno-Conwy and Bangor-Caernarfon.

1.2 Population Forecasts

Since migrational flows are a significant element in population change within the study area, population forecasting is a hazardous exercise. The critical features of such forecasts is the set of assumptions concerning future migration levels, which are then applied to the natural change in forecasts. From a range of possible assumptions, the most realistic population forecast was considered in 1976 to be that which corresponded with the 'best' population estimate in the County Structure plan and with housing completion projections based on past trends within the plan area.

	1971	1981	1991
Llandudno	17,350	18,980	20,830
Conwy	12,050	13,350	14,940
Remainder of Plan Area	1,660	1,775	1,890
	31,060	34,105	37,660

1.2. Housing Demand and Supply

Current forecasts indicate that in crude terms there is already sufficient land with the benefit of planning permission to accommodate the levels of growth envisaged until the mid-1980's. In April 1976, land for a total of some 1900 units was already committed for development whilst, on the basis of the household forecasts derived from the population projections, it is anticipated that there will be a need for an increase of some 3,200 dwellings in the period 1976-1991. Subtracting current commitments from anticipated demand indicated that additional land for approximately 1,300 units needed to be allocated.

Some land already committed for development may, to all intents and purposes, be undevelopable at reasonable cost. For this reason continuous monitoring of the progress of development and the release of housing land will be undertaken.

1.4 Land for Residential Development

If a 5% allowance is added to the population projection to allow for mobility and turnover in the local housing market and if development proceeds at an average density of 13-15 dwellings per acre, in line with local plan policy 1I, then some 96 acres of land need to be allocated for residential development during the plan period.

The choice of sites allocated for residential expansion in plan has been made by considering the following criteria: landscape, topography, servicing, access, site conditions and contiguity with existing development. Emphasis has been placed on the rationalisation of the boundaries of urban development by the allocation of sites within and at the periphery of existing built-up areas.

1.5. Residential Development Outside Built-Up Areas

The main concern of the housing land policy is to consolidate development within the main built-up area and to restrict the spread of new housing in the rural parts of the plan area. In this way, a similar approach for the control of residential development is adopted for the non-urban parts of Llandudno-Conwy to that proposed for the future control of residential development in other rural areas of Aberconwy. As permission would normally be refused for residential development outside built-up or designated residential areas, the onus will be on applicants proposing schemes in rural areas to show explicitly how they have been able to satisfy the criteria set out in Policy 1D.

1. developments must be small in scale, comprising only one or two individual dwellings. Larger numbers of dwellings may be permitted in appropriate cases where units are linked or grouped in traditional forms.

2. Developments must constitute infilling. Infill sites in this context will be narrowly interpreted as small gaps in otherwise continuously built-up area or road frontage. The erection of a dwelling in a space between a compact group of houses and a building detached from that group does not constitute infilling. Development between existing buildings and relatively close natural means of enclosure such as wood, large hedge or significant change in level may be considered as infilling.

3. Developments should not only reflect the scale of the surrounding development but must also respect its character. Where the existing form of development is, for instance, traditional village terraces, detached houses or bungalows will not be permitted but a group of linked houses could well be appropriate.

4. The design of windows, roofs and other features of a building and the materials used must also be characteristic of the area. Suburban forms of development and features, such as dormer bungalows, coloured spar dashed finishes, picture windows, etc., will normally be inappropriate and will prejudice the granting of planning permission (applicants should have regard to any other relevant detailed design guidance published by the local planning authority).

5. Infill development must equally take full account of the topography and natural features of a site (e.g. trees, gradients, hedges).

6. Infill development must not adversely affect landscape conservation policies, e.g. where infilling would involve ridge line development or the felling of woodland, permission will be refused.

7. Infill development must not adversely affect nature conservation policies.

8. An infill site must be capable of adequate servicing in respect of water supply and both foul and surface water drainage.

9. A satisfactory vehicular access can be provided onto the site. Where major remodelling to the existing topography is necessary to secure proper access and where this would be detrimental to the environment, permission will not be granted.

10. The capacity of surrounding roads is adequate to cater for an increased level of vehicular movement.

The policy regarding residential development outside the areas referred to in Policy 1C (i.e. the rural areas) is not intended to debar the conversion to residential use of redundant buildings, such as mills or barns, in a reasonable state of repair and of sound construction, if such conversion would contribute to the character of the countryside by the retention in a continuing form of a traditional building or group of buildings. While the element of the policy suggests sympathetic treatment of cases which would help to preserve the character of an area, it does not extend to the replacement of derelict buildings. Replacement of an existing dwelling may be acceptable provided that it involves little change in the size or appearance of the building, and does not perpetuate a serious traffic hazard or isolated development away from public services. Where proposals for replacement involve substantial change they will be treated as new dwellings.

1. That it would not be unduly expensive or impossible to supply services.

2. That there is no more useful purpose for the building if the development were not permitted.

3. That the building is structurally sound, having sound walls and sound roof and capable of rehabilitation without major external alterations or reconstruction.

4. That there is a reasonable means of access to the building and its use as a dwelling would not lead to problems of highway safety.

1.6. Renewal of Residential Planning Permissions

There will be a need to review carefully all applications for the renewal of planning permission in respect of sites outside the existing built-up areas or those areas allocated for residential development in the plan. Where such proposals do not meet the criteria set out above (Policy 1D) they will be refused on the grounds that formal local planning policies have been adopted for the area since the applications were first submitted.

1.7. Phasing

Sufficient land has been allocated on the Proposals Map, including the outstanding planning commitments, to accommodate the predicted population levels up to 1991. Outstanding planning permissions will cater for the projected increases in the number of private households until 1986. It is therefore intended that the areas of land allocated for residential development on the Proposals Map (and not already committed) should not be released for development until the majority of existing commitments have been exhausted, and until current public utility constraints have been alleviated. Individual and smaller plots will be favourably considered.

1.8. Type of Development

Many existing developments provide residential accommodation which is not suitable for occupation by the average family, and this situation has been perpetuated in many recent developments. It is considered that there is a sufficient supply of properties designed to meet the demands of retired people, and that the land allocated for housing on the Proposals Map should, in the main, be developed with family-type accommodation. Positive control over the type and size of housing units is required to ensure that residential development is more related in type and price range to local rather than migrant demand. Design briefs provided by the local planning authority to the Land Authority for Wales will seek to ensure there is a sufficient range of choice in new housing developments.

1.9. Density

Density policies for residential areas will not be applied inflexibly for the specific topography and individual setting of each site allocated for new residential development must be taken into account. Detailed density requirements will be set out in planning briefs prepared specifically for each new site released for development. In general terms, an average overall net density for new housing will be set at 13-15 dwellings per acre. More intensive development will prolong the period over which settlements in the area can continue to expand without violating landscape, agricultural and other constraints.

1.10. Design of New Housing

Modern housing estates are often monotonous, unrelated to their surroundings and pay little regard to local materials and traditions, unsympathetic detailed design can have just as adverse an effect on the environment as the inappropriate siting of new development. The aim of the plan is therefore to try to perpetuate or in some cases even re-establish a local aesthetic identity and recognisable sense of place. To this end all proposals for new development will be expected to make a positive contribution to the townscape of the settlement in which they will be situated. Developers will be expected to show in their applications how they have had regard both for the best features of the site itself and of the surrounding environment. Proximity to badly designed recent development will not be accepted as a reason for allowing further poor quality building.

1. New residential development must take full account of the topography and natural features of a site.

2. The siting of the individual building should be related to the position of any adjoining houses and/or the street elevation of which they will form a part.

3. In total the buildings on a site should form either a formal or informal urban environment where the buildings are clearly predominant, or, in certain cases, a low density, non-urban pattern where the landscape predominates.

4. The size and form of the buildings should be in scale and harmony with the original buildings in the area, adjoining buildings, and the settlement as a whole.

5. The proportions chosen for windows, doors, etc., should be related and kept in scale with each other, with buildings as a whole, with any adjoining buildings, and with those in the rest of the settlement. Particular care is needed with the proportion of window to wall, and with the design of dormer windows.

6. The materials used should be appropriate in colour and texture to the area and/or the adjoining buildings. Rendering should be of the colour washed and/or the adjoining buildings. Rendering should be of the colour washed, non-decorated variety rather than the coloured spar dash (limestone spar dash with white cement or granite with dark grey cement could be acceptable), and should continue the tradition of raised reveals around openings where appropriate. Painted walls should be predominately white, or light and neutral, with stronger colours reserved for details (see Table 1).

7. In general, designs should strive to achieve the balance between simplicity and the comparatively high level of visual incident that is characteristic of the best townscape. Success in this respect will not be easy, but it is most likely to result from honest design.

8. Architectural details should be chosen which help to reinforce the local identity which the overall design is seeking to foster. Mock period details, unless they are of a type and design contemporary with the buildings which they are to adorn, will not be appropriate.

Table 1 - Appropriate Building Materials

LOCATION	Roofs	Walls
Llandudno Conservation Area Conwy Conservation Area	Slate	Stucco, smooth render, local stone
Glan Conwy Hendre Penrhynside Conwy (Outside C.A.) Pabo/Pydew Glanwydden	Slate or Slate like material	Smooth/rough render (not decorative finishes), roughcast (i.e. pebbles mixed with cement), white limestone/granite spardash (not red sand based), local stone
Llandudno Junction Llandudno (Outside C.A.) Penrhyn Bay Craig-y-Don (Outside C.A.) Craigside Deganwy Llanrhos	Slate like materials, smooth red/brown tiles	Smooth/rough render (not decorative finishes), roughcast (i.e. pebbles mixed with cement), white limestone/granite spardash (not red sand based), local stone, dark grey/brown brick.

1.11 Residential Flat Conversions

The change of use and/or the conversion of older hotel, flatlet or residential property into flats is one way of providing homes relatively cheaply. Because of the type of property built by the private sector, high prices, low incomes and relatively large local authority waiting lists, many young couples must start married life in a rented flat. Consequently flat conversions service a considerable local housing need. In addition many older properties in the plan area were designed for different lifestyles and larger families than those common today. Such properties are difficult and uneconomic to run as single-family homes. Similarly in some instances patterns of holidaymaking have changed making the conversion of some buildings necessary if they are not to be allowed to deteriorate and become eyesores.

On balance then it would seem that there is no reason to oppose in principle the conversion of properties into permanent flats. However, changes of use to flats can cause problems in respect of car parking, upkeep of gardens, absentee landlords etc., which the local plan must seek to minimise by setting down clear criteria indicating when and where conversions will be acceptable.

1. The property must be physically suitable for conversion without incongruous extensions and able to provide good quality fully self-contained flats for permanent occupation.

2. There should be no increase in parking demand generated by the property over that pertaining by virtue of its current use, except where on-site parking at a ratio of one space per flat can be provided without the need to demolish extensive lengths of garden wall or other garden features etc.

3. A landscaping scheme for any grounds or garden area surrounding the property should be drawn up and submitted as part of the application. The scheme should comprise self-maintaining species/features and permission will be conditional on its implementation.

4. Schemes which will, in part, be owner-occupied or where a resident caretaker/manager will be appointed will be given especially favourable consideration. Similarly, Housing Association or Co-operative Projects will be well received. In such cases problems of poor external maintenance of the fabric or gardens should be minimised and any parking/noise/disturbance problems are likely to be self-regulating.

1.12. Second Homes

Nationally, the second home momentum has been checked by economic conditions and this situation is reflected in the plan area. In numerical terms, second homes constitute 1.96% of the area's housing stock and thus do not represent a particular problem in the area as a whole.

However Conwy walled town does contain a significant proportion of second homes, some 15% of the housing stock being unavailable to meet local needs.

As the impact of planning control upon the second home question is minimal, it is considered that special vigilance should be kept on the situation in Conwy and the walled town should be considered a priority area for acquisition and improvement action.

Further second home ownership will be discouraged within Conwy walled town and efforts will be made to reduce the present level of such ownership.

2. EMPLOYMENT - LAND AND BUILDINGS FOR INDUSTRIAL, COMMERCIAL AND OFFICE DEVELOPMENT

2.1. Land for Industrial Development

The main characteristics of the area's employment structure have been identified as:

1. a relatively high level of unemployment and in particular, seasonal unemployment,

2. heavy dependence on service employment, especially the holiday and tourist trades,

3. low activity rates , i.e. the proportion of the working population employed,

4. low family income,

5. a restricted range of job opportunities.

This situation is clearly unsatisfactory and probably contributes to the outward migration of the area's younger population. However, local planning authorities can do little to increase employment opportunities other than by designating and in some cases servicing areas suitable for industrial or commercial development and by the adoption of policies to facilitate the change of use of existing premises.

Local Plan decisions in this field must be taken in the context of County Structure Plan Policies which suggest that the promotion of employment opportunities needs to be examined in the broadest context and consideration must be given not only to manufacturing but to all other sectors. The County strategy is to concentrate on attracting and consolidating major employment growth in three locations, one of which is Llandudno/Conwy.

Structure Plan Policy 6A	To ensure that adequate sites are available for industrial development in Llandudno/Conwy.
6D	To ensure that adequate sites are available for office development.

On balance arguments from both tourist and industrial interests about the non- compatibility of their respective activities are not held to be convincing. There is little merit in a tourist industry which cannot compete and must rely on low wages, poor working conditions and long periods of under employment or state subsidised unemployment. Similarly, on completion of the proposed North Wales Coast Expressway, summer traffic congestion should no longer be a barrier to industrialists and will equally encourage the further development of tourism.

Problems over skilled labour supply can only be solved by simultaneously building a pool of both skilled operatives and skilled jobs in the area. Labour supply and demand can be seen as having a chicken and egg relationship and as such, emphasis must be on a gradual expansion of industrial employment opportunities which it is believed will then be matched by a gradual increase in the pool of skilled local employees. Strategic employment growth area policies contained in the County Structure Plan and referred to above must also be respected and consequently it is felt that additional land for industrial and commercial uses should be allocated in the local plan.

Estimating exactly how much land to allocate for industrial, commercial and office development is extremely difficult. Hypothetical estimates of need derived from predicted future labour supply or the anticipated demand from industrialists can be attempted ad these suggest that some 12 hectares (30 acres) may be needed for industrial and commercial development during the plan period. However, it is clear that such predictions are of little validity in a constantly changing economic climate virtually precludes rational long term expansion plans for even the major industrial concerns. Within a very short period land requirements could vary by as much as 50% and the emphasis in the local plan must therefore be on ensuring that there is always a reserve of suitable land allocated for industrial purposes. This would confirm and reinforce County Structure Plan Policy 6C which seeks to ensure that there is always available a reserve of industrial land fully serviced. The combination of environmental constraints and adverse ground conditions has militated against the ready availability of appropriate sites for industrial development. It is recognised that there is a longer-term shortfall of industrial land identified within the District Plan and, consequently, the situation will be kept under constant review. A detailed analysis of the plan area is to be undertaken so that further land suitable for industrial purposes may be identified and brought forward for consideration as required.

In the long term, it is intended that Cae Foot, Glan Conwy, and the former brickworks at Llandudno Junction be rationalised and improved (Policy 4HP) and that these areas, or parts thereof, be utilised for unit workshops and general industry respectively.

Land will be allocated for industrial development in the form of light and service industry at Morfa Conwy after the line of the proposed A55 Conwy River crossing has been determined by the Secretary of State.

Builder Street, Llandudno.	Light industry, service industry, small service depots, workshops.
Llandudno Junction.	Light/General industry, service Industry.

Llandudno-Conwy is an important tourist area and an important entrance point to Gwynedd and the Snowdonia National Park. It is therefore important to ensure that all new industrial buildings and sites are constructed to the highest design and landscaping standards so that as far as possible they may make a positive contribution to the environment rather than detract from its inherent qualities.

1. The topography and natural features of the site, e.g. trees, hedges, walls and gradients,

2. The disposition of uses on the site should be such as to minimise the visual impact of the development on the landscape as well as disturbances to adjoining properties from the proposed activities,

3. Careful consideration must be given to the size and form of any building so that its apparent bulk and mass is reduced and it is properly integrated with other features of the development, e.g. screen walls, landscaping etc,

4. The materials employed should be of a type and colouring appropriate to the location,

5. proposals must incorporate a comprehensive plan for screen walling/fencing, tree screening and self-maintaining site landscaping.

Where planning permission is granted, conditions safeguarding the above criteria and restricting the excessive display of advertisements on sites will be imposed.

2.2. Vacant Buildings

Apart from the provision of new industrial premises there are vacant buildings in the study area having potential for industrial use. Such buildings represent an asset and, where suitable, these could be adapted for productive use.

1. The buildings must be suitable for adaptation to the proposed use.

2. It should be possible to provide for operational and non-operational parking within the site in line with the parking standards set out in the Transportation Section.

3. The traffic generated by the activity should be compatible with the capacity of the adjoining highway and the normal traffic conditions pertaining to the surrounding area.

4. It should be possible to provide a satisfactory means of vehicular access to the site from the highway.

5. The proposal should not be detrimental to residential or visual amenity.

6. Where appropriate proposals must include a self-maintaining landscaping scheme.

Where planning permission is granted, conditions safeguarding the above criteria and restricting the hours or work at the premises will normally be imposed.

2.3. Warehousing

As communications to the plan area improve, it is not clear how the need for wholesale warehouse and distribution depots will be affected. If the demand for this type of facility should increase, the area near the proposed railway goods yard at Llandudno Junction and at the intersection of the proposed North Wales Expressway and the A470 North-South Wales Trunk Road is clearly well situated for this purpose. However, because of the overall shortage of industrial land in an area of week soil structures, diverse topography and high landscape value, priority must normally be given to manufacturing industries with a higher employee/area ratio.

2.4. Offices

Within the plan area at the present time approximately one quarter of the total employment opportunities are office-based and such activities clearly make an important contribution to the local economy. Offices are particularly significant as they complement manufacturing industry and widen the economic base of the area.

There has not been a significant amount of purpose-built office accommodation in the area in the recent past, the growth of offices taking place in older buildings adapted from other uses. In particular, the properties surrounding Trinity Square and the Argyll Road/Oxford Road area of Llandudno have gradually been developed for both public and private sector offices. It is considered that this process should be allowed to continue to provide for the orderly development of a variety of office/commercial premises. At the present time, the Aberconwy Borough Council have made no firm commitment to the provision of a new Civic Centre but should the Borough Council resolve to consolidate their offices at a central location within the Plan Area, the Plan will be reviewed and specific provision made for such offices at that stage.

1. where existing property is involved it must be suitable for adaptation and the external appearance should remain substantially unaltered.

2. any new office building or re-building within the conservation areas should reflect and conform to the character of the surroundings.

3. the erection of advertising signs of any kind will be made subject to approval. Proposals must be related to an overall scheme for the repair and decoration of the property.

4. the removal of boundary walls or the use of front gardens for parking will be made subject to approval and will not normally be permitted.

5. where appropriate proposals must include a self-maintaining landscaping scheme for garden areas.

At the present time new office accommodation is tending to be located in Colwyn Bay and it is considered that the 5.1 acres of land on Mostyn Broadway, which has the benefit of an outstanding planning permission for commercial development, should be retained as a potential office site to attract the larger purpose built office developments.

The local plan area contains several large country properties set in their own grounds which lend themselves to a variety of uses. Several of the properties have been successfully used as office accommodation (e.g. Tyn-y-Coed/Robertson Research, Bodlondeb/Aberconwy Borough Council) providing good employment opportunities in very attractive surroundings. New uses, including offices will be encouraged where appropriate for such properties.

1. the property must be suitable for adaptation to the proposed use.

2. the property must be capable of office use without detriment to the residential or visual amenities of surrounding properties.

3. it should be possible to provide a satisfactory means of vehicular access to the site from the highway.

4. the traffic generated by the new use must be compatible with the capacity of the adjoining highway and the normal traffic levels pertaining in the surrounding area.

5. it should be possible to provide for operational and non-operational parking within the site in line with the parking standards set out in the Transportation Section, without the need to demolish extensive lengths of garden wall or other landscape features.

6. where appropriate, proposals must include a self-maintaining landscaping scheme.

Where planning permission is granted, conditions safeguarding these matters will normally be imposed.

Elsewhere in the plan area changes of use to offices may conflict with the interests of local people by, for instance, intruding into residential areas or fragmenting ground floor frontages in central shopping areas to the detriment of a town's retail attractiveness.

3. TOURISM

3.1. General

Tourism is a major economic and social force within the plan area since it affects, either directly or indirectly, the life and environment of the local community. Llandudno not only has a key role in the local tourist industry, but indeed contains some 20% of the hotel bedspace capacity for the whole of Wales. The area contains a wide range of holiday accommodation, commercial attractions and fine scenery, and the tourist industry is instrumental in maintaining the prosperity of a wide hinterland.

Some 30,000 visitors stay in the area during the peak holiday period and this number is augmented by a large number of day visitors. While their contribution to the local economy estimated at £19.3 million per annum and some 2,800 jobs, brings obvious benefits to the area, it is considered that in meeting the challenge of the future, the tourist industry may continue to foster those elements of local character and identity upon which its growth was initially based. A link road between Llandudno and the A55 may encourage substantial numbers of day visitors to the resort and both ancillary holiday facilities and car parking provision will come under increasing pressure.

3.2. Holiday Accommodation

Within the plan area, over half of the available bedspaces are provided in the serviced accommodation sector, and it has been established that per capita benefits to the local economy derived from hotel guests are higher than those from tourists staying in most other forms of accommodation. Since the number of visitors which can comfortably be catered for by the area's tourist facilities is limited, it makes sense, therefore, to seek to ensure that as many as possible are based in hotels, as in this way the return to the area from a given number of tourists will be maximised. It is partly for this reason that past and structure plan policy has been aimed at resisting changes from hotels and guesthouses to non-tourist or self-catering holiday accommodation, when it is reasonable to do so.

The other reason for seeking to retain hotel accommodation is the vital role of it plays in the town's function as a conference centre. The loss of existing hotel facilities along the central promenade could prejudice the town's hopes of attracting future conference trade and thus be detrimental to efforts to lengthen the season and strengthen the resort's economy. It is therefore important to facilitate improvements to hotel accommodation in the central area, if this key sector is to continue to play a full and profitable part in a modern tourist economy. Attempts will therefore be made to safeguard the existing hotel capacity along the promenade in the vicinity of the town's existing/proposed conference facilities in order to maintain a firm basis for the future.

Over recent years, inflationary pressures and changing tastes have lead to a demand for more informal, inexpensive self-catering accommodation and although some doubts have been expressed about the ability of resorts such as Llandudno to adapt to changing tastes and economic circumstances, units of permanent self-catering accommodation already provide a significant part, perhaps 17%, of the resort's bedspaces. Because policies have been applied which have slowed down the rate of change, the transition has therefore taken place gradually and many of the problems which might have materialised have been avoided. Units of self-serviced accommodation are now distributed widely throughout Llandudno and in general terms they are of reasonably high quality contributing to the range of accommodation available to holidaymakers. Although studies have shown that the economic benefits to the area from poor quality self-serviced accommodation are lower than those derived from hotels, this does not hold true for better quality self-catering apartments. It is considered, therefore, that the most important issue away from the central core of hotels is the quality of the available accommodation rather than whether it is within the serviced or self-serviced sector. Thus, outside the primary holiday accommodation area, there will be a presumption against the loss of holiday accommodation and changes of use of existing hotels and guesthouses to poor quality holiday flatlets. However, applications for changes to good quality holiday flats will be treated on their merits where the proposed units meet the minimum standards established by the Wales Tourist Board in its publication "Minimum Standards for Self-Catering Accommodation" and the criteria attached to policy 3B.

1. The property must be physically suitable for conversion without incongruous extensions and the units provided must be self-contained and offer a high standard of family accommodation and be suitable for occupation as a permanent residential unit,

2. there should be no increase in parking demand generated by the property over that pertaining by virtue of its current use, except where on-site parking at a ratio of one space per flat can be provided without the need to demolish extensive lengths of garden wall or other garden features,

3. the proposal would not result in a loss of permanent residential accommodation,

4. the proposal would not introduce a non-conforming use within an area,

5. it would be advantageous if the proposed scheme involves a dual fully-serviced/self catering facility incorporating restaurant/dining facilities,

6. it would be advantageous if the facility is to be owner-occupied or a resident manager is to be employed.

3.3. Touring Caravans

A subject plan covering touring caravans and tents has been approved by the County Council and been the subject of a public local inquiry as part of the process leading to formal certification and adoption. One particular problem with touring caravans in the plan area, identified during the public participation exercise, is the number of vans parked on the Promenade at Llandudno, to overcome this situation, action outside the sphere of a local planning is needed to prohibit such parking. However, the provision of good quality touring caravan sites in suitable locations on the southern and eastern approaches to the resort would help overcome this situation.

1. No caravan shall appear obtrusive from public roads, footpaths or open spaces. In instances where caravans would only be minimally visible, it shall be a condition of the planning permission that the site operator shall submit for approval by the Local Planning Authority a landscaping or tree planting scheme, or indicate other suitable means of screening which will make the site unobtrusive once the development is implemented,

2. No site shall have a damaging effect upon the character and amenities of the neighbourhood by reason of siting or improvements to any road or access made necessary by the granting of permission for the site,

3. No site shall adversely effect any social, natural or historical feature in the neighbourhood,

4. No site shall create any danger or inconvenience to the public from a highway or traffic point of view and all sites shall have a suitable, although not necessarily a direct, access to a principal road,

5. No individual caravan shall remain on site or standing for more than 28 nights in any one year, and no more than 14 nights shall fall within the months of July and August, and,

6. Sites and standings shall only be used for an eight month period which will normally extend from 1st. March to 31st. October. The sites and standings shall be completely cleared of all caravans by the end of this period each year together with all temporary structures, vehicles, boats and equipment.

In addition to touring caravan sites, there is a need for a short stay transit site, in close proximity to the A55 Expressway to accommodate those en-route for areas further west. The provision of such site could help alleviate the problem of overnight parking in lay-byes and car parks close to the main holiday routes.

3.4. Static Caravans

It is County Structure Plan policy that there will be presumption against further static caravan development, either in the form of new sites or an extension of existing sites. However, single static caravans within the curtilage of the dwelling house continue to increase in number, taking advantage of the provisions of the General Development Order which enable single units to be stationed within the curtilage, as incidental to the enjoyment of the dwelling. A problem arises when applications are submitted to use the caravans as holiday homes for letting, or as residences and it is considered that such changes in use should be resisted in order to prevent the spread of single static caravans in rural, coastal and residential locations, to the detriment of visual amenity and environmental health.

3.5. Tents

The general criteria referred to in policy 3C are considered to be as relevant to the selection of sites for tented camping as for touring caravans.

3.6. Conference Facilities

The further development of the conference sector is to be encouraged as a means of enhancing the area's tourism revenue, extending the holiday season and providing additional employment opportunities. Llandudno is an important venue for conferences but if the resort is to remain a serious contender in that market, then more modern and extensive facilities are necessary. The problem at the moment regarding conference provision is not in seating capacity but in seating quality and more particularly the lack of large scale banqueting facilities. The provision of an improved conference centre should also be seen as an opportunity to establish a multi-use, all weather complex capable of meeting some of the summer demand for wet weather tourist facilities.

There are substantial theatre premises already available in Llandudno which represent an under-used resource but play a major part in contributing to the aesthetic character of the resort. Any resources which are available for conference facilities should therefore be concentrated in an effort to conserve, rationalise and improve existing facilities rather than building completely new accommodation. For example, improvements or extensions to the Pier Pavilion, the Astra complex or the Grand/Arcadia theatres would all be practical, would avoid further duplication and would mean that good quality conference facilities could be provided at reasonable cost. In October, 1978, the Borough Council resolved to buy the Pier Pavilion for conversion to a Conference and Leisure Centre, providing seating for 1,500 people, banqueting facilities for 750 and dancing facilities for 2,000. However, at its meeting on 27th November 1979, the Borough Council further resolved not to retain the acquisition of the Pier Pavilion as an option for consideration.

3.7. Ancillary Holiday Facilities

There is a growing demand for amenities having an interpretive theme and there is also a need to improve the wet-weather facilities in the area. Museums/exhibitions which display the local heritage or interpret local flora, fauna, geology etc. will be encouraged in both Conwy and Llandudno. In particular, projects which seek to utilise older properties within the designated conservation areas, thereby helping to maintain the historic fabric, will be considered sympathetically.

Improved evening entertainment in the form of cabaret/night clubs, casinos and discotheques will also be encouraged by the Borough and County Councils where this does not conflict with the environmental interests of local people. It is not intended that the area should develop commercial facilities on the same scale as some brash tourist centres but rather seek to enhance its existing character and local identity. The plan area provides an alternative holiday experience to the more commercialised centres and this role will be maintained.

3.8. Tourist Recreation

The plan area contains a wide range of recreational opportunities and facilities, a fact which underlies its importance as a tourist centre. Whilst beach activities at Llandudno and Conwy Morfa are of prime importance and are the main attraction to holiday makers, the area also offers a range of recreational opportunities ranging from activities such as water sports to more passive pursuits such as sight-seeing, leisure walking and natural history.

The concentration of tourist activity at Llandudno, especially related to the beaches, and Conwy walled town, has given rise to congestion and over-use. However, there are parts of the plan area which offer opportunities for greater informal recreational usage. More could be made of the park and woodland around Conwy, especially Bodlondeb, Conwy Morfa, Traeth Melyn, Deganwy, and Cae Foot, Glan Conwy. The development and use of such areas should be guided by management plans.

The Great Orme is subject to increasing visitor pressure and in order to institute some form of control over the tourist use and development in the area, and also to conserve its high scientific interest, the Great Orme should be designated as Country Park with an associated Statutory Local Nature Reserve as and when finances becomes available. The Great Orme is ideally suited to meet the demands of day and half-day excursions; it lies between Snowdonia and areas of high population and could, if properly promoted as a Country Park, help to divert recreation pressures from the National Park. A proposal for Country Park status has been submitted to the Countryside Commission and accepted in principle. This proposal would zone the Great Orme into two areas, one with a predominantly informal recreational bias and the other biased towards nature conservation and its interpretation. Although agreed by the Countryside Commission and Nature Conservancy Council, implementation has been temporarily postponed by the Borough Council given the present financial restrictions on local authority spending.

3.9. Boating Facilities

The plan area has two boating centres in Conwy and Llandudno adjacent to large stretches of sailable water, however, shore facilities are inadequate. In general, Llandudno is not suitable for moored craft, but is an important venue for dinghy sailing, although the launching facilities are barely adequate.

The eventual adoption by the Secretary of State of the tunnel route for the A55 Expressway will provide an opportunity to increase the number of moorings and generally improve boating facilities in Conwy harbour. Irrespective of the route chosen for the road, improvements to boating facilities are needed if this aspect of the area's attraction for tourists, holidaymakers and sailors is to be maintained. While improvements to sailing provision will be encouraged, a clear distinction will be drawn between genuine harbour facilities and marginal activities such as the provision of residential accommodation which is, or can be, catered for elsewhere in the plan area.

3.10. Tourist Information Centres

The Wales Tourist Board and its associated Regional Tourism Councils are engaged in a review of policy needs in relation to tourist information centres. Although the review has not been completed, it would appear reasonable to suppose that there may be merit in considering the feasibility of selecting an appropriate site in close proximity to the proposed A55 Expressway. The area bounding the proposed Glan Conwy Corner interchange would appear to offer particular advantages in this respect by virtue of its location at the junction of the A470 and A55 with its link to the Conwy Valley and the A5.

4. CONSERVATION

4.1. General

The plan area contains a considerable legacy of historic buildings and a wide variety of landscapes, the interaction between the built and natural environments makes the area one of the most distinctive in Gwynedd. There is a close relationship between the quality of the environment and the strength of the area's tourist industry.

Conservation, as an instrument of planning policy, is concerned to maintain and improve the visual quality of the environment; it involves the sensitive management of change and does not seek to prohibit change.

4.2. Settlement Character

The distinctive quality of the area owes much to its wealth of fine buildings, their relationship to each other, the character of the settlements and their general setting in the landscape. Conservation areas have been designated in Conwy and Llandudno and both are considered nationally important, having been accepted by the Secretary of State as outstanding conservation areas under the terms of the Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Act 1972. The fabric of much of the rest of the plan area is of more recent origin with housing and industrial developments dating, generally, from the early part of the 20th century, giving these areas a characteristic suburban appearance.

4.3. Urban Conservation - Conservation Areas

The two existing conservation areas within the district plan boundary cover the historic wall town of Conwy and the planned Victorian resort town of Llandudno. The boundary of Conwy Conservation Area follows the line of the town walls and this is considered to be an appropriate and convenient demarcation. Llandudno Conservation Area has recently been extended to encompass further areas of townscape worthy of protection. As part of local plan preparation, a review of other settlements in the plan area was carried out to determine if they warranted conservation area status, but it was felt that none were sufficiently cohesive and interesting, either in aesthetic or historical terms, to justify further designations. Consequently, it is considered that the present coverage of conservation areas is adequate to protect the most significant parts of the plan area's urban heritage.

The character and appeal of the centres of Conwy and Llandudno is an important factor in their attractiveness to existing users and is essential in the further development of the area's tourist industry. It is intended, therefore, that the conservation of the character of the towns will be a prime consideration.

4.4. Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

Within the plan area, there is a considerable number of buildings listed as being of special architectural or historic interest and it is considered important that these buildings, which are part of the area's heritage, should, wherever possible, be preserved and, when necessary, improved. Where such buildings are unused or only partly used, and have a high townscape value, it is important that their potential for rehabilitation and the accommodation of new uses is fully investigated before redevelopment is contemplated.

In addition, the planning authorities have been notified by the Secretary of State that the area of the former Conwy Municipal Borough has been re-surveyed for a revision of the statutory list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. Pending the introduction of a revised list of such buildings by the Secretary of State, special consideration will be given to planning applications involving buildings which have been included in the recommendations for revision of the statutory list. Furthermore, the Secretary of State is urged to formally introduce a revised list based on the recommendations of the Historic Buildings Investigators.

4.5. Environmental Improvement

Enhancement of a conservation area's character may be achieved through good design, traffic management and containment, landscaping or restoration schemes and if conservation objectives are to be achieved, financial support and encouragement is essential. Such finance can be made available by both central and local government. However, in a situation where direct conservation funds are severely limited or non-existent, advantage will continue to be taken of opportunities provided by government employment programmes to maintain and enhance the historic and aesthetic qualities of the Llandudno and Conwy conservation areas. In particular, a comprehensive long-term programme of improvements will be drawn up for Conwy once a final decision has been reached on the route for the North Wales Expressway. More immediately, a Town Scheme for Conwy is to be introduced, involving joint action by the Welsh Office, the local authorities and owners of historic buildings to secure the preservation of key elements of the historic townscape. In Llandudno, the close working arrangements between the local planning authority and ground landlords, Mostyn Estates, with their controls over development, and the Welsh Office, in its grant-aiding capacity, will be continued.

4.6. Design Considerations

In a period of financial restraint, positive development control will inevitably be the prime means of securing urban conservation. The limited public enhancement programme which will be possible will be linked with development control policies devised to protect and preserve those buildings, streets, spaces and other details of the environment which contribute to the area's urban character.

In order to achieve this objective, it will be the normal practice of the Local Planning Authority with regard to outline planning applications within conservation areas, to exercise its right to call for details of the design and siting of the proposed development, including elevations which show the proposal in the context of the surroundings, and details of the materials to be used. All proposals will be expected to make a positive rather than just neutral contribution to the townscape of the conservation area.

As it is impossible to cover adequately all design considerations and criteria when establishing general local plan policies, detailed aesthetic guidance for certain types of development and particular locations will be published from time to time. Developers will be expected to show how they have had regard to any such relevant material when submitting an application.

4.7. Shop fronts and Advertisements

The conservation areas of Conwy and Llandudno encompass the commercial centres of the towns and the appearance of shop fronts and advertisements in such areas therefore has a considerable influence on the overall appearance of the conservation area. Historic building frontages often conform to basic plot width which sets the elevation rhythm of the street scene, when a proposed shop front encompasses two or more units, it is important to respect and retain this rhythm. Shop-front fascias should be in scale with the building on which they are displayed. In some cases it may be beneficial to eliminate the fascia altogether and apply individual lettering directly to the building. Large expanses of plate glass are the modern idiom in shop front design but are very often out of scale in a conservation area. An individual shop façade should not be a dominating influence within the street and consideration should be given to breaking up large elevations into smaller units in order to maintain the proportion of the building and the visual balance of the street.

The acceptability of new advertisements will be considered in relation to the positive effect that they will make to the visual character of the street scene and whether they will be injurious to amenity or a danger to public safety. All advertisements should be well designed and properly sited in relation to the buildings or land on which they are to be displayed and with the surrounding area. It is considered that large internally illuminated box signs are not generally appropriate in conservation areas and indirect lighting or the individually illuminated letter are generally more acceptable. Signs should not normally be displayed above fascia level except on large buildings such as hotels and public houses which can sometimes accommodate them successfully. The projecting sign, especially the traditional hanging type, can sometimes enhance the character of a conservation area but a plethora of such signs would give an unacceptable cluttered appearance. Restraint is the keynote in the consideration of the display of advertisements and, whilst it is accepted that the Advertisements Regulations exclude from control the subject matter or content of a sign, the local planning authority will seek, by discussion and mutual agreement, to limit the content of signs to the name or function of the building rather than advertising specific commercial products.

The designation of an area of special control under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations enables the local planning authority to exercise greater control over advertisement displays, especially where the demand for such displays is high as a result of the commercial nature of the conservation area. It is intended to consider whether any parts of Llandudno or Conwy require to be designated as areas of special control for advertisements. All such Orders require the confirmation of the Secretary of State for Wales, and the Advertisements Regulations require that public notice shall be given of any intention. To apply for such confirmation, and there is provision for objections to be lodged and a local public inquiry to be held into any objections. Once such Orders are in force, discontinuance notices will be served on those existing advertisements with deemed consent which are considered to conflict with the amenity value of the area.

4.8. Statutory Undertakers

Wires, signs, poles and street lamps are often necessary adjuncts to modern living but careful attention to their design and siting can often make them comparatively unobtrusive. Unfortunately statutory undertakers are often careless in their approach to the provision of services. Common are instances of two or more similar poles placed next to each other, ugly electrical junction boxes projecting onto pavements or sited against important buildings, proliferations of unnecessary signs, etc. The visual chaos which results is not compatible with the aims of enhancing conservation areas nor the efforts expected of private individuals.

Every attempt will be made to inform statutory undertakers of the implications of conservation area status and to reach mutual agreements regarding design criteria. Statutory undertakers will be encouraged to consult and ask for advice on suitable treatments and in the course of undertaking new work they will be expected to rationalise and improve the siting of their installations. Should voluntary efforts fail, consideration will be given in the first review of the district plan to making further Article 4 directions to include the operations of statutory undertakers.

4.9. Llandudno Conservation Area

Existing properties within the town have been much affected by the alterations and additions which do not respect their intrinsic character. It is considered important that in future such alterations or additions are positively discouraged while the restoration, where possible and feasible, of the original character of the buildings previously disfigured should be encouraged. Two parts of the conservation area in particular are considered to be of prime importance, The Parade and Mostyn Street.

(i) The Parade, South Parade and North Parade

The principle characteristic of the sea front is the unbroken line of similarly detailed 19th century buildings. The character of the area depends on the uniformity in height, roofline detail, fenestration, wall finish and colouring of these buildings. As the buildings consist mainly of flat elevations with a regular fenestration pattern and smooth rendered facades, the finer details of the buildings are of great importance and thus any alterations are more readily noticed. Because many recent changes have detracted from the character of this part of Llandudno, the Borough Council applied to the Welsh Office for planning controls over exterior painting under Article 4 of the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1977, these controls have now been approved.

Many of the buildings along the promenade are now listed as being of special architectural and historic interest and, consequently, greater control over alterations is possible. The area is also an important part of the Outstanding Conservation Area and, as a result, grant aid is available from the Welsh Office for some types of restoration work. Greater control and the availability of grant aid make it possible to adopt more stringent policies to protect the unity and consistency of the extremely vulnerable sea front properties.

Dormer windows are traditionally part of the design of the whole façade of each building and their shape, proportion and spacing are visually important. However, modern flat roofed dormers, constructed in various forms, often continuous across the entire width of the building and usually with inappropriate timber boarded finish and felt roofs, have completely destroyed the roofline of several buildings.

The original proportions of windows have in many cases been altered by the removal of glazing bars, this is most undesirable as the smaller scale provided by the original glazing proportions helps to give interest and human scale to the elevations of the buildings.

The original front doors were meant to be an obvious expression of main focal point of the entrance to each building and were therefore carefully designed with good panelled timber doors, ornamental porches and various other architectural means of stressing the entrance. There has been an unfortunate tendency for owners of property along the seafront to put glazed or other inappropriate or poorly designed doors and porches in such locations.

Whilst the breaking up of the visual unity of the group by inappropriate painting is now controlled by the need to apply for planning permission for any painting schemes, the change from the traditional smooth-rendering finish to a textured render would equally destroy the unity of the buildings and will, therefore be discouraged.

As the buildings have such a consistent vertical emphasis and a particular degree of visual interest it is difficult to assimilate new buildings into the Parade. Although slavish copies of the original buildings are not necessarily advocated, the designer of new buildings in existing gaps along the seafront must accept the considerable design constraints provided by the need for new structures to harmonise with the general character of the existing buildings. The new block on the site of the former Crescent Hotel provides a good example of how difficult it is to produce a modern building which fully harmonises with the existing character of the area.

(ii) Mostyn Street

Mostyn Street has a more varied character than the Parade and contains buildings of various periods and styles. Although there is more variety, there is still a considerable similarity in height, building width and the intensity of detail in the older buildings in the street. On the northern side, a strong unifying element is provided by the cast iron arcading to be neglected and treated merely as an advertisement hoarding. As much of the arcading is now listed, stricter control will be exercised in future. New verandas, obviously meant as an attempt to maintain the appearance of the street, have all too often been clumsily treated with a lack of fine detail in the supports, and with heavy fascias and solid roofs at different pitches or higher than the original glass roofs.

As Mostyn Street is the commercial centre of the town, the pressures for new development are considerable, but new buildings for commercial organisations have tended to completely disregard the character and scale of the street. The shops on the site of the former English Baptist Church are a glaring example of the problem, being too low, with unsympathetic horizontal proportions and lacking sufficient visual interest and detailing to harmonise with the existing development. Large plate glass shopfronts, without any visual means of support for the upper part of the building and garish tiles, shiny metal finishes or other inappropriate modern materials are to be avoided. However, it should be stressed that good modern design which fits into the street scene is often more acceptable than poor attempts at reproduction.

4.10. Conwy Conservation Area

Conwy's present character derives from the construction of a typical Victorian Welsh town on a medieval street pattern inside 13th century battlements. Few of the Town's individual buildings are outstanding in their own right but they are valuable as a group because of their similarity of scale, appearance and building with relationship between the buildings themselves. The accumulation of minor alterations to buildings was having an impact on the fabric of the walled town and Aberconwy Borough Council sought, and obtained, additional planning controls under Article 4 of the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1977. These additional controls remove from the category of permitted development Classes 1 and 2 of Schedule 1 to the General Development Order. It is therefore considered that major changes to the fabric of the town are now controlled, and further detailed policies, beyond the considerations of policies 4F - 40 would be superfluous. However, with regard to materials used, it will be expected that rendering will be of the colour washed rather than the pink spar dash variety and the tradition of raised reveals around openings will be continued. Painted walls should be predominately white, or light and neutral, with stronger colours reserved for details such as raised reveals.

The Castle and walled town together constitute a national monument of outstanding importance and it is considered that the appearance of this monument would be greatly enhanced by retaining the open character and restraining development outside the town walls. The policy of the Ancient Monuments Board of exposing the outside of the town walls by the removal of buildings as and when they become available will continue to be supported. Thus, there would be considerable merit in demolishing the present Cadnant school once a new primary school is provided (see section 7.9) and removing the coal depot and scrap yard, there by improving the appearance of the town walls. The objective of exposing the town walls would be alien to the nature of the Quay which is a workshop and fishing zone unique in the area in its relation to the town.

4.11. Landscape Conservation

The plan area is comprised of contrasting landforms, ranging from the sand dunes in the west to the limestone outcrops of the Great and Little Ormes in the east. Throughout the area, both near and distant views of outstanding landscape features are an important aspect of the local environment. At the present time, protection for the area's special landscape character is afforded by policies put forward in the form of Landscape Conservation Areas in the County Structure Plan, the policies and proposals set out in the National Park Plan and the designation of the Great Orme as Heritage Coast. However, it is necessary to supplement the broad structure plan policies with more detailed locally based evaluations.

4.12. Green Wedges

Within the County Structure Plan, reference is made to the need to maintain undeveloped green areas between Llandudno and Deganwy and Llandudno and Colwyn Bay. These and other rural areas within the plan boundary help to preserve the individual identity of the existing settlements and the maintenance of this physical identity is considered important. To achieve the aim of restricting growth in these areas, development control powers will be used to prevent the spread of residential development.

4.13. Landscape Conservation Areas

It is considered that the landscape controls, while sufficient over much of the plan area, do not give adequate protection in certain locations. Land on the western fringe of the existing built-up area of Conwy is of high scenic value, adjacent to the boundary of the National Park and thereby forming an integral part of the Park's upland landscape. The area immediately to the south of Black Cat Corner forms an important wooded backcloth to the generally featureless floor of the Afon Ganol and is of considerable intrinsic landscape value. The are between Craig-y-don and Penrhynside, which consists of the highest grade agricultural land in the plan area, forms a valuable green wedge between the existing developed areas and provides visual contrast with the mountainous background.

Within the suggested landscape conservation areas, the protection of the landscape will be the prime consideration in determining development proposals.

In areas not included in the landscape conservation areas and which lie outside the National Park, the landscape implications of new development will always be taken into consideration and opportunities taken to improve overall landscape quality wherever possible.

4.14. Planting and Landscaping

The Structure Plan indicates that the County Council will continue to pursue a policy of tree preservation and amenity planting and encourage the proper standards of landscaping/tree planting in association with new development. Remedial landscaping or planting schemes are required in parts of the plan area in order to screen some recent developments or local eyesores and to properly delineate the urban fringe between settlements and the landscape conservation areas.

4.15. Nature Conservation

The principle features contributing to the nature conservation value of the plan area are the existence of various sites containing important fauna, flora and geological features and the diversity of ecological systems present. The Nature Conservancy Council and voluntary organisations are active in the area and at the present time there are seven Sites of Special Scientific Interest wholly or partly within the area, in addition, the North Wales Naturalists' Trust has declared two nature reserves.

4.16 Conservation Problem

Outside the areas afforded special protection, the major habitats are areas of the coastal zone, deciduous woodland, limestone grasslands and meadows, scrub and upland. Roadside verges, railway embankments, stone walls, rivers and stream, all provide habitats of value to nature conservation and should not be overlooked. The total woodland area is relatively small but it represents an important nature conservation resource. Within the scope of their extremely limited powers the local planning authorities will endeavour to bring the need to conserve such habitats to the attention of intending developers in both the private and public sectors. The Nature Conservancy Council will be requested to produce a management plan to ensure the continued existence of woodlands of nature conservation value.

The amount of land designated for nature conservation is small and therefore has to be seen in relation to other primary, often conflicting, land uses. The encroachment of recreational uses into coastal locations, particularly in sand-dune areas, and along footpath routes has sometimes conflicted with nature conservation interests. The most urgent need is for a management plan at Morfa Conwy to conserve and repair the existing habitats and to ensure that severe erosion does not take place due to excessive pressure from beach-users and from holidaymakers using adjacent caravan and camping sites. A study of the problem is required and should be undertaken on a joint basis by the County and District Councils and the Nature Conservancy Council.

The dunes at the southern end of the West Shore golf course are susceptible to erosion by public access, and management measures which encourage the public to keep certain paths or board walks may be necessary in places, thereby encouraging regeneration of dune vegetation and shore-nesting birds to return.

In recent years the spread of Spartina anglica in the Conwy Estuary has given serious cause for concern because the botanical and ornithological interest and importance of specific locations within the estuary have been reduced by incursion of this plant. The welsh Water Authority will be pressed to study the question in consultation with the Nature Conservancy Council, the Aberconwy Borough Council and other interested organisations to determine and implement a line of action to attempt to eradicate it from the estuary.

4.17. Agricultural Developments

Modern agricultural practices can have a considerable impact on the rural environment and, thus, where any new development on the farm is contemplated, it is important that the farming community exercises discretion in the use of its very wide freedom to undertake development. The local planning authorities and Nature Conservancy council are also willing to provide advice regarding the landscape or ecological impact of proposals. In certain cases, grant aid may be available to secure particular landscape and nature conservation objectives.

4.18. Agricultural Land

While some agricultural land has been allocated on the Proposals Map to accommodate predicted urban expansion, it is intended to minimise the amount of land so used by seeking to raise density levels and to avoid, wherever possible, the best quality land. When designating areas for development, account has been taken of the need to consider agricultural land in terms of economic units while local farming interests and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have been fully consulted.

4.19. Areas in need of Rationalisation and Improvement

Within the plan area, there are locations which at present constitute local eyesores and require certain works to upgrade their appearance and rationalise the current distribution of land uses. The most immediate problems are the former brickworks at Llandudno Junction and Cae Foot, Glan Conwy. As and when finances allow, it is intended that those areas be filled, levelled and screen planting provided where necessary in order to provide a more acceptable environment. In the case of the brickworks, it is hoped that the area can be utilised for industrial purposes in the long term whilst the Cae Foot area will be rationalised to collect the present industrial uses, and possibly new small recreational/tourism uses of Cae Foot will also be investigated.

5. LOCAL RECREATION

5.1. Recreation Provision

Provision for formal sport and recreation is deficient in the plan area and it is important that land is found and allocated for this purpose. Land is needed to accommodate demands for three types of locally based recreational activity - indoor sports facilities, playing fields for outdoor sports and children's play/amenity areas within residential areas.

5.2. Indoor Sports Facilities

It is envisaged that the future provision of indoor sports facilities will be undertaken on a joint provision and use basis by the community and the local education authority. Consequently, the existing secondary school complexes are seen as providing nuclei, from and around which a variety of sports facilities will be developed.

The Borough Council and Gwynedd County Council are currently exploring the possibility of providing a jointly run sports centre in the Maesdu area of Llandudno, close to the John Bright Secondary School. This could eventually include a provision for a sports hall, squash courts, hard porous training pitches and extensive grass playing fields. When developed, such a complex would serve to meet deficiencies at the John Bright School, the future community needs of Llandudno and, in some cases, those of the wider Aberconwy area.

Although the provision of similar facilities at Conwy, based on Aberconwy School/Bodlondeb, cannot be financed in the present economic climate, it is considered necessary to safeguard the opportunity for such a development to proceed in the future.

5.3. Public Playing Fields/Public Open Space

Local needs for playing fields/public open space have been assessed by applying the operational standards adopted by the Borough's Department of Leisure and Amenities to estimates of the population expected in various areas once all existing housing commitments have been taken up. These needs have been compared with the existing level and distribution of provision to highlight areas which are deficient. Further provision has also been made for the open space needs of the newly designated residential areas. The District Plan incorporates existing proposals designed to remedy particular shortfalls and shows areas which will be reserved so that the level of provision can gradually be brought up to the Borough's adopted standards.

The analysis of open space provision takes account of the scope for more fully realising the potential of existing public open space and the possibility of dual use of school playgrounds and playing fields. If the level of open space provision is to be adequate, better use will need to be made of existing playing fields and arrangements for the dual use of school facilities will need to be made.

5.4. Children's Play Areas

Provision for localised children's play space is based on a standard of .5 acre per 1000 population and a catchment area of ¼ mile radius. Again the dual use of primary school sites and playgrounds and the inclusion of more intensive children's play facilities within larger playing field sites is an essential part of the strategy for provision. The distribution of existing play areas within the older housing areas is uneven and further sites have been identified and allocated in the plan where additional provision is necessary. In new housing developments of any scale, planning permission will be conditional upon the reservation of land and the laying out of children's play space to the above standard.

5.5. Amenity Areas

In an area with large numbers of retired residents and many elderly summer visitors there is a need to make provision for formal/informal amenity areas, gardens and parks. As there is easy access throughout much of the plan area to open countryside of high amenity value, such spaces must be kept in close proximity to the centres of the main settlements and residential areas. Sites used for this purpose must be sufficiently large, and layed out in such a way as to be easily maintained. Advantage of their amenity value should be taken and windows/dwellings designed to overlook them in order to reduce the incidence of vandalism. Obviously some of these areas will have a considerable tourist use, in other cases, local residents will make use of informal facilities provided mainly for tourists and visitors. It is therefore important to see this section of the plan in conjunction with the proposals dealing with informal tourist recreation areas (Policy 3I).

5.6. Allotments

There is traditionally a strong demand for allotments throughout the plan area and general inflation affecting the cost of fresh vegetables has stimulated further interest in horticulture recently. While demand is high, the provision of permanent allotment sites in the plan area is adequate particularly in Llandudno, consequently land has been reserved on the proposals map on which extensive allotment provision for Llandudno can be made in the future. Elsewhere in the plan area specific sites have not always been allocated because of the limited resources available for the acquisition of additional land in built-up areas. Here allotment provision will be secured by utilising underused corners of existing public open space which can be fenced easily and by the similar use of other land in local authority ownership wherever this is suitable.

6. SHOPPING

6.1. Shopping Floorspace

Shopping is an important activity in the economy of the plan area, involving the use of a considerable amount of land. In view of the anticipated increase in the population of the area, further shopping floorspace will need to be provided and this increase will be accommodated by rationalising and improving the main shopping centres in order to create a convenient and compact shopping environment.

There are two fundamental approaches to determining the overall amount of shopping floorspace required in the Llandudno-Conwy area over the plan period. The first is the promotional approach whereby every effort is made to increase the size and attractiveness of a given centre. In the past this line has been adopted by those interested in the development of Llandudno, and it appears to have been successful, since the town is now the most important centre in north-west Wales.

The other alternative is the analytical approach which attempts to keep development to a level consistent with the area's theoretical capacity to support it. However, the difficulty is to find a method of assessing an area's need for shopping floorspace which is not excessively complicated and yet has some objective validity.

Structure Plan Policy 8A suggests that the relative balance of shopping activity between existing centres should be retained. Llandudno is described in the structure plan as a sub-regional shopping centre, the only 1A grade centre identified in Gwynedd. However, the physical capacity of the town to accommodate a continued growth in retail floorspace is limited and therefore the emphasis in future should be on seeking to improve the quality and range of shopping opportunities available if the town is to continue to be the county's regional centre. New shopping floorspace will be required in Llandudno to cater for the projected increase in population in the plan period, and it is considered that this floorspace should be accommodated within the central shopping area through the improvement and extension of existing shops, the change of use of non-retailing uses to shopping and the erection of new retail units. However, the application of crude floorspace control as a proxy for retail activity can be misleading especially when related to regional centres where increasingly the emphasis is on comparison shopping for larger items. Thus, in Llandudno, which has an adequate number, if not a surplus, of small traditional retail outlets, an extra 15,000sq. ft. of general shopping floorspace in small units would be unacceptable. However, the town lacks premises suitable for the larger scale of durable retailing needed if Gwynedd is to make provision for its residents to undertake shopping within the County, and thus 30,000 square feet of new floorspace devoted to a single national multiple or department store would be welcome. As a result of spin-off effects it is believed that the establishment of such a store would not adversely affect smaller outlets in other parts of the town. Similarly, because a significant proportion of the trade attracted to such a store would have previously gone outside the County, it is considered that its establishment in Llandudno would not necessarily be detrimental to trade in other centres within Gwynedd.

Against the need to accommodate new developments must be set the problem of ensuring that the fabric of existing shopping areas is not seriously affected. The importance of this consideration derives from the fact that, traditionally, shopping activities have occupied considerable amounts of architecturally significant street frontage in the centres of the area's main settlements and conservation areas. The aim must be to achieve a balance over time which enables shopping centres to change and adapt to new modes of retailing but at the same time ensures that this does not happen at the expense of the most important parts of the town's older built fabric.

To facilitate the development of a wider range of retail facilities in Llandudno, a potential site in Back Madoc Street has been indicated on the Proposals Map where new large-scale stores could be accommodated. This site is not considered to be suitable for a precinct-type development of smaller units, which would compete in scale with existing premises, nor would a superstore or hypermarket, selling convenience goods, be appropriate. Consideration will need to be given to the visual impact of any development on this site upon views along Mostyn Street and the proposed development on this site upon views along Mostyn Street and the proposed development will be expected to have regard to the general height of the 19th century properties fronting Mostyn Street. Given the central location of the Back Madoc Street site in Llandudno, a combined shopping/car parking development will be encouraged.

6.2. Retailing Zones

The attractiveness of a shopping centre is related to the range of shopping it contains and their disposition along building frontages. The attractiveness of the central areas of Llandudno and Conwy has suffered in recent years from the excessive development of non-retailing activity which has tended to fragment shopping frontages and dilute their vitality and quality. Much non-retailing activity is commercial in character e.g., Building Societies, Insurance Offices, Banks, Job Centres and Betting Offices. While acceptable on the periphery of the retail zones and at the ends of shopping streets, they can be detrimental to retailing interests when more centrally located in any number. The problem is exacerbated by the use of retail properties for entertainment, tourist orientated sales and, particularly, catering facilities. Overall, the proportion of shopping frontage used for non-shopping or tourist sales amounts 35% in the centre of Llandudno and 44% in Conwy Walled Town resulting in a significant loss of attractiveness to local shoppers.

To ensure that further erosion of the attractiveness of the core shopping areas of the district's main centres is reduced to minimum, tightly defined primary shopping zones have been designated within which retailing should remain the predominant use.

In other parts of the plan area, it is less important to ensure that retailing remains the predominant activity but it is necessary to indicate where shopping is the most acceptable use along with the associated forms of commercial activity referred to above. Therefore, wider secondary retail zones have been defined where shopping is already carried on within which there would be a presumption in favour of new retail outlets without there being any general restriction on changes to other associated uses. It is envisaged that these zones will contain a mixture of commercial, catering, service and shopping uses. The non-retail uses will be expected to provide a satisfactory treatment of the ground floor frontage.

In the remainder of the plan area there will continue to be a presumption against the development of retail outlets, unless of the corner, village or general store variety, in order to minimise the disbenefits of creating new traffic generators in residential or rural areas and to ensure the continued attractiveness of town centres. This latter objective is particularly important given the significance of shopping activities to the maintenance and conservation of the built fabric, townscape and general attractiveness of the centres of the district's main settlements, which are designated Outstanding Conservation Areas of national importance.

6.3. Markets

In the past there have been several requests for permission to operate an open market in Llandudno and all have been discouraged on the grounds that such activity would not be compatible with the character of Llandudno. The aim has been to safeguard Conwy's historic role as the market town for the coastal area and maintain its attraction as a holiday and service centre, thereby increasing the general level of trade in the town. The promotion of market facilities has been seen as offering the only opportunity of providing a distinctive alternative shopping centre to that in Llandudno.

The precise site of market activity in Conwy cannot be determined at present as much will depend on traffic management measures implemented once an effective by-pass for the town is provided on completion of the A55 Expressway.

6.4. Pavement Trading

The use of the forecourt as an extension to business premises in Mostyn Street, Llandudno is an imposition on the visual amenities of the street and an impediment to pedestrian movement. It thus has a damaging impact on both the character and appearance of the Llandudno outstanding conservation area, the protection of which is of paramount importance. Forecourt trading and display will consequently be discouraged by discussion and mutual agreement in the case of ancillary extensions of traditional shop uses and by planning decisions, where direct or indirect forecourt trading involves the sale of goods or commodities unrelated to those sold from within the main shop or business premises. In the remainder of the plan area forecourt trading is also considered to be generally inappropriate.

6.5. Corner/Village Shops

Besides the larger shopping centres serving the wider needs of the community, it is important, in an area with high proportion of elderly households, to seek to maintain a network of convenient corner/village shops. Such outlets provide a valuable service to the community but they are gradually disappearing. Little positive can be done by planning authorities to safeguard the future of such localised shops, but a restrictive policy regarding changes of use might preclude more lucrative alternative uses and thus make some contribution to their survival. Also, the establishment of new shops serving the needs of local people in the area's villages and residential areas will be encouraged. In new housing developments of any size, developers will be required to reserve land for the construction of shopping facilities.

Where it is anticipated that substantial residential development will take place, it is important to reserve land to provide for a range of future community/shopping facilities in a convenient, central location. Within the plan area, such provision will be required in Penrhyn Bay to service the planned population growth, the proposed village centre shown on the Proposals Map is expected to provide new retail units, car parking, amenity open space, community facilities and possibly, an ancillary residential component. This does not infer that a public house would constitute an acceptable village centre use in this instance.

6.6. Shops in Holiday Centres

Large caravan sites often provide shopping facilities within their sites for the use of residents. The proliferation of such facilities is not in the interests of the local community because they attract a proportion of the potential expenditure which would otherwise go to local centres and village shops.

6.7. Garage/Car Showroom/Vehicle Repair Shops

Planning permission has been granted for a new car showroom adjacent to the Fire Station on Conwy Road, Llandudno and once this facility is developed, it is considered there will be a sufficient number of such enterprises throughout the plan area to serve existing and future needs.

6.8. Wholesale Warehouses

wholesale warehouse users are akin to industrial activity and generate a considerable amount of traffic. The development of new wholesale facilities within the plan area will in future be restricted to industrial areas where communications area good. Suitable industrial land is, however, limited and priority will have to be given to manufacturing concerns which normally generate a greater amount of employment per unit of floorspace. Any attempt to conduct a retail business from wholesale premises permitted in these locations will be resisted.

7. SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES

7.1. Hospital Facilities

The Gwynedd Health Authority have produced a report entitled "An approach to an Area Plan for Health Services in Gwynedd 1978-81" and a consultative document on hospital bed requirements in Gwynedd. In the period up to 1985, when the Bangor District General Hospital is coming into full use, no major changes are envisaged in the plan area. The retention of Llandudno General Hospital as a medical and surgical acute unit, supported by improved out-patient, casualty, accident and emergency units, is assured. Developments to improve the supporting services are under consideration, together with new ward blocks, which will replace the existing Annexe. The Health Authority require some two acres of land to enable such development to take place.

The question of the future of Conwy Hospital is still in the consultative process and no firm decision has been made, it is unlikely that a decision will be made by the Secretary of State in the near future. If rebuilding and extension at Conwy is rejected on the grounds of cost and/or location, the alternative would be to develop further at Llandudno. If Conwy Hospital does close, the Health Authority are urged to consider establishing a joint health and social services day care facility within the present complex.

7.2. Health Facilities

Health Clinic facilities are adequate at Llandudno and Llandudno Junction and while plans were discussed in 1976 with the Health Authority to develop a health centre at the site of Conwy Station, the Health Authority no longer consider this viable as the general practitioners in the town have developed their own facilities.

7.3. Private Health Provision

There is considerable private medical provision within the plan area and, despite the associated employment benefits, there has been conflict in the past between demands for more facilities of this nature and the requirements of the tourist industry in the instance of planning applications for a change of use from hotel/guest to a private nursing home.

7.4. Care of the Elderly

By 1991, some 9,700 persons, or 26% of the area's population, will be over the age of retirement. The majority of these people will live independently within the community, however, where their housing accommodation is unsatisfactory, old people should be rehoused in purpose-built accommodation in the form of independent flats/bungalows or in 'sheltered housing'. Sites for such developments form part of the overall housing land requirement and have therefore been accounted for in the housing forecasts (see Policy 1B). it is envisaged that any purpose-built accommodation will be provided in small units which cater for immediate local demand so that the social patterns of the residents are not disrupted by moving them an excessive distance.

The current emphasis in meeting the needs of the elderly and disadvantaged is to develop a preventive strategy which aims to strengthen community bonds and facilities are being orientated to this end. A day care centre is required in Llandudno in order to provide a further meeting place within the town. However, a site is not available to facilitate the construction of a purpose built centre and it is considered that use should be made of existing primary schools once they become surplus to educational requirements.

7.5. Care of the Handicapped

There is no establishment at present catering foe the needs of physically handicapped in the Conwy area but purpose-built establishment to accommodate young physically handicapped people is being established on land adjacent to Plas Bodwel, Llandudno Junction.

The Social Services Department have indicated that a home for the mentally handicapped is required in Llandudno to accommodate some twenty six residents from local homes. A number of the residents would be employed in Canolfan yr Orsedd, returning to the proposed home at the end of each working day.

7.6. Police

The site of the divisional police headquarters in Llandudno is very restricted and the Police Authority have been granted planning permission for new headquarters on Mostyn Broadway

7.7. Libraries

The County Librarian has indicated that the library facilities at Llandudno are inadequate to serve the dual function of lending library and area office required of them. There are churches, chapels and school buildings in Llandudno which are underused/redundant and, in some instances, these buildings represent an important resource that play a major part in contributing to the visual quality of the town.

7.8. Community Meeting Places

Within the plan area there is, paradoxically, a deficiency in the number of meeting places available for public use and surfeit of premises capable of being used for community purposes of one kind or another. The existing proliferation of community buildings in some areas represents an inefficient use of scarce financial and physical resources and a liability in terms of maintenance. In such areas, attention should be focussed on the gradual improvement, rationalisation and greater multiple use of existing premises. Similarly, in the remainder of the plan area, consideration must first be given in future, when improved facilities are needed, to the opportunities available to utilise school or other community premises as general or multi-purpose community centres. At present, the potential of school buildings and playing fields for community use is not being fully realised. Only when opportunities for multi-use are not available or are totally impractical should resource be made to the alternative of building new premises.

A new community centre for Penrhyn Bay is to be provided within the site of the proposed bilingual secondary school (Policy 7L) and the Ebenezer Welsh Congregational Church at Penrhynside is to be converted into a community centre for the village. In Llandudno, consideration will need to be given to the opportunities which will become available to utilise school premises surplus to educational requirements for the provision of community centre facilities, in this context, the Tudno primary school will be investigated to establish its full potential for community use. The former Craig-y-Don primary school is to be utilised, on a joint user basis, for community and teachers' centre use.

Community centre facilities for Morfa Conwy should be provided in the proposed new primary school (Policy 7H) and Ysgol Aberconwy. The primary school at Glan Conwy will form the focus for further community activity in the village.

7.9. Primary Schools

Some of the plan area's primary schools lack adequate play areas, are located in unsuitable premises and fail to meet the Department of Education's current space standards. A continuing programme of internal improvements is being carried out by the Local Education Authority but the allocation of building resources is linked to the reorganisation of secondary education in the area. It is the intention of the Education Authority to carry out a thorough review of primary education in the area in the near future.

The intended future pattern primary education in Conwy will involve retaining the infants' school at Gyffin whilst replacing both the Bodlondeb and Cadnant schools with a new purpose-built primary school. It is expected that the buildings and playing fields provided for the new school will be available for community use. The anticipated changes will take place during the next ten years.

In the Llandudno area, new primary schools are required in the near future to replace St. George's V.C. School and Bodafon primary school. Once Ysgol John Bright is rationalised on one site, the Mostyn School on Trinity Avenue will accommodate the current Tudno primary school. The site and buildings of the Dyffryn primary school are inadequate and a replacement school will be required in the Maesdu area in the long term.

The Glanwydden primary school is deficient in playing field provision and land has been purchased adjacent to the present school to alleviate the situation.

7.10. Secondary Schools

The Education Authority has studied the ways of developing secondary education in the plan area within its broad policy framework and the limitations imposed by existing buildings and the availability of resources. The need for a comprehensive study of secondary education arose from population changes, the demand for instruction through the medium of the Welsh language, the split site situation at Ysgol John Bright and the site/playing field deficiencies at the secondary in the area. To rectify this situation, the Education Authority have resolved to provide a bilingual secondary school in the area in Conjunction with Clwyd County Council and to remodel and extend the John Bright buildings, the Mostyn buildings will be vacated.

There is a considerable school playing field deficiency at Ysgol John Bright and it is intended that this deficiency will be met on the Maesdu Tip area as indicated in Policy 5A.

There are only two grass pitches at Ysgol Aberconwy and this imposes severe restrictions on football and rugby activities. In order to meet this deficiency, further playing field facilities will be provided on the former tip at Conwy Morfa by the County Council for Ysgol Aberconwy and the local community, as indicated in Policy 5A.

8. TRANSPORTATION

8.1. Highway Improvement

The major highway improvement which will be carried out within the plan period will be the proposed new Trunk Road A55 dual carriageway from Llanddulas to west of Llanfairfechan. Most of the new route has been approved by the Secretary of State for Wales, the major exception being the means of crossing the Afon Conwy. Stage I of the proposed road between Llanddulas and Glan Conwy Corner is scheduled for completion in 1984 but it will be some six years before the whole scheme is completed. Until a final decision is made in respect of the Conwy crossing (Stage II) the Secretary of State's Preferred Tunnel Route will be protected.

During the plan preparation period studies of several alternative tunnel routes were being undertaken by the Secretary of State and a considerable area around Conwy was affected by one or other of the possibilities. Consequently it has not been possible to formulate local plan proposals covering the complete range of local planning issues for the west bank of the river. Once a final decision on the Conwy crossing is announced, however, the Llandudno/Conwy District Plan will be formally reviewed so that more comprehensive land use proposals for Conwy can be included.

The detailed way in which the A55 Expressway is designed and built will obviously affect the eventual uses to which adjacent land can be put, the planning potential and opportunities resulting from the new route and the visual appearance of the plan area. Many design decisions will have to be made in the short term, both as regards temporary and permanent works. The local planning authority will take all possible steps to ensure that temporary works are designed and carried out in such a manner as to facilitate reinstatement or to complement detailed long term proposals for the Conwy area to be incorporated in the review of the District Plan proposed above. Similar steps will be taken to ensure that permanent works are also compatible with such long term proposals and are designed in such a way as to maintain the outstanding visual amenity of the area.

The Llandudno Junction By-pass Order of 1956, which protects a corridor looping around the north of the settlement, is still in force. Although now redundant apart from the fact that parts of the corridor are used by the Llandudno link road proposals, this Order will not be rescinded until a final decision is made on stage II of the A55 Expressway. At this time, the corridor between Tan-y-Bryn and Victoria Drive will become available for development and has been allocated for residential purposes on the proposals map.

At the Public Inquiry into the A55 proposals, the Welsh Office's Consultants assumed in their traffic and cost benefit analyses that a new road would be constructed to the link Llandudno to the new A55. Gwynedd County Council appointed Consultants to investigate alternative routes for such a link road. Two route corridors were identified, these being:-

1. The "Tywyn Route" from the Llandudno Junction Flyover roundabout (which itself would be linked to the new A55) northwards along the line protected by the Llandudno Junction By-Pass Order 1956 to join the existing B5115 at Llanrhos by means of a roundabout, and,

2. The "Esgyryn Route" from the proposed new roundabout between the new A55 and the A470 near Glan Conwy, north-westwards along the eastern side of the 1956 Llandudno Junction By-Pass line and then northwards to join the existing B5115 at Llanrhos, again by means of a roundabout.

For either route it is proposed to improve the B5115 between Llanrhos and Conwy Road, Llandudno, and consideration is being given to the construction of a roundabout at the junction of Conwy Road and Queen's Road, Llandudno to help reduce the speed of traffic entering the built-up area.

In the process of preparing the district plan, it has become evident that the Esgyryn route has advantages over the Tywyn link in terms of residential amenity, housing demolitions, noise effects and public open space loss. It also has land-use planning benefits, performs better as a strategic interceptor of holiday traffic from the east and has the highest net value using COBA cost benefit analysis. These advantages are considered to outweigh the disbenefits of an increased land take of grade III agricultural land and visual intrusion at the margin of the landscape conservation area. Consequently the Esgyryn route is shown on the proposals map.

The construction of a new road linking Llandudno to the A55 will reduce the traffic through Llandudno Junction and Deganwy and through Rhos-on-Sea and Penrhyn Bay, and will therefore concentrate more traffic onto the B5115 Conwy Road, Llandudno. It is intended that this traffic should be dispersed at the Links Hotel roundabout by directing traffic to West Shore along Maesdu Road and traffic to the Parade (i.e. the Promenade) along a realigned Clarence Drive. Maesdu Road is of good width and alignment and will need only minimal improvement works to carry the traffic to and from West Shore while it is intended to assess the layout of its junction with the A546 near Maesdu Railway Bridge to cater for the increase in turning movements. The proposal to realign Clarence Drive between the Links Hotel roundabout and Mostyn Broadway has been the policy of the present County Council and of the former Caernarfonshire County Council for some years and in order to achieve the intention of linking to the Parade as stated above it will be necessary to construct a new section of road between Mostyn Broadway and the Parade in the vicinity of Irving Road.

Gloddaeth Lane, linking Deganwy and Llanrhos to Penrhyn Bay, is well used by local traffic and its significance will increase with the construction of the proposed bilingual secondary school at Penrhyn Bay. The existing standards of Gloddaeth Lane are fairly typical of a Class 3 Road in a rural area and it is intended to consider a phased programme of works to improve sections where the desired standards are not met. At its eastern end within Penrhyn Bay, where it becomes Llanrhos Road, its alignment and width are very substandard and this promoted the former Caernarfonshire County Council to prepare an improvement scheme diverting the road to the south of the existing alignment through land forming part of the farm known as Winllan. Measures are currently being taken to enable the Gwynedd County Council to acquire the land required for this diversion. At the junction of Llanrhos Road with the A546 at the Penrhyn Bay Toll Bar it is proposed to construct a roundabout in order to cater for future turning movements at this junction.

8.2. Traffic Management

Traffic management is essentially a means whereby the best use can be made of the existing highway network. In its simplest form it involves the making of Traffic Regulation Orders to control parking on the highway in order to improve the free flow of traffic and to improve road safety. Although the prime function of a highway is for the movement of traffic and not the storage of vehicles, some degree of on-street parking must be tolerated in the absence of adequate off-street facilities and the imposition of limited waiting on wide streets often serves to meet the demands of short-term parkers. The introduction of a one-way system on certain streets allows parking where this would not have been tolerable with two-way traffic, and also serves to improve road safety, particularly at junctions. In general, traffic management techniques are introduced to overcome problems that are foreseen in the short-term or that are actually occurring and it would be impossible to attempt to be specific regarding future Traffic Orders in this statement.

Conwy. For a number of years, High Street, Conwy was a one-way street from Lancaster Square to its junction with Castle Street. In order to improve the shopping environment in High Street by reducing its attractiveness to through traffic, an experimental Order was introduced in March 1977 making High Street one-way from Castle Street to Lancaster Square. Following the permanent introduction of the reversed one-way system in High Street it is proposed that the layout of Lancaster Square be reviewed in order to regularise the parking area and to enhance its appearance.

The inevitable delay in a decision being taken on a new route for the A55 Trunk Road to by-pass Conwy means that the existing highway network must continue to cope with through and local traffic for some six years. Apart from the reversal of the one-way on High Street and the improvements to Lancaster Square mentioned above, it is considered that there is little else that the County Council as Highway Authority can do to reduce the traffic congestion that occurs in the town at peak periods. This congestion remains mainly a Trunk Road problem and it is considered that at only one location can the situation be improved, this being the junction of the B5106 with the A55 at Castle Square.

The Welsh Office are currently investigating means whereby this junction can be improved to cater for turning movements and reduce delays to through traffic. In this connection, the possibility of replacing the existing pedestrian access to the Castle at Castle Square with a new high level access from the Vicarage Car Park is relevant. It may prove that the implementation of such a proposal will be crucial to enable an improvement of the B5106/A55 junction to be carried out.

The lack of adequate off-street parking facilities is a problem in Conwy and frustrates efforts to improve both traffic flows and safety by substituting off-street parking for on-street spaces. Aberconwy Borough Council propose to construct a new car park at Llys Llywelyn, Mount Pleasant, in order to partially improve the situation. However, uncertainty in respect of the Expressway route mitigates against a more comprehensive long term solution.

Regarding the use of Traffic Management to improve the environment, it is considered that the participating authorities should jointly investigate means whereby traffic can be reduced on the quay so that this could be made a more pleasant area for pedestrians. In the short term, this could involve the closure of some parts of the highway and the management of the car park to encourage long stay parking thus reducing traffic movements.

Llandudno To obtain a prediction of future demand for car parking spaces necessitates making any assumptions. These include anticipating human behaviour patterns, economic growth, car ownership and usage, together with the cost and availability of oil and the motorist's reaction to paying parking charges. Additionally, the A55 Expressway and proposed Llandudno link road will have the effect of improving the accessibility of Llandudno to a large populous area of England and hence increasing the number of day visitors to the town during the summer months. As part of the current investigation, the aim has been to obtain a broad indication of the demand for additional car parking, it has been based on household growth in car ownership of the indigenous population and on the expected increase in seasonal traffic, which has been assumed to grow in line with national growth and also the influence of better road communications. Such an assessment, which suggests a target figure of 1,500 additional spaces by the year 1991, is to be regarded as an indication of the future level of demand rather than a firm prediction.

The demand for car parking spaces can be divided into short-term (predominantly shoppers) and long-term (hotel guests, persons employed in the town and day visitors). It is considered that efforts should be made to provide adequate short-term parking capacity in close proximity to the shops to retain the attractiveness of the town as a shopping centre. At the same time, consideration needs to be given to the parking demands generated by hotel guests. Inevitably this results in conflict, for example, the Parade provides a convenient parking location for shoppers, but at present waiting restrictions are not in force to limit the period of stay so that while this means, in theory, that a guest can park his car outside his hotel all day, in practice it also means that shoppers, office workers and day visitors can occupy those spaces all day to the detriment of hotel guests. Persons employed in the town and day visitors require parking for a longer period of time and consequently, parking provision for this group does not have to be in close proximity to the shops and hotels. Nevertheless, parking for day visitors must readily accessible and easily found by strangers to the area, while that for work purposes must be as cheap as on-street alternatives.

Factors that can be expected to influence the supply of additional car parking spaces are:-

1. the relationship between both on-street and off-street parking spaces and the traffic carrying capacity of the town streets. In the centre of Llandudno, road capacity is unlikely to have a limiting influence in deciding the upper limit of off-street parking spaces but most certainly has a bearing on the amount of on-street provision,

2. the more efficient use of existing off and on-street spaces will require regulation orders and/or pricing to control the usage of the available spaces,

3. the acceptable walking distance of car parks from the town centre will be related to the various purposes and time of stay (short and long term),

4. the areas where off-street parking cannot be accommodated because of priority given to housing, shops, schools etc. and,

5. the cost in terms of finance and amenity in providing parking sites together with associated access problems.

The major problem is the lack of adequate parking facilities in the vicinity of the town centre since the desired destinations of many motorists are the main shopping centre and beach.

Off-street parking: The only land available for off-street parking in the vicinity of the town centre is that adjacent to the British Rail Station off Augusta Street and currently used by British Rail as a car park. It is considered that this site should be retained for surface car parking and to this end it has been designated as a car park on the Proposals Map. However, if the full 320 space potential of this site to cater for long term parking needs to be realised, it is essential that the area is properly managed, surfaced and laid out and its present derelict and unattractive appearance improved. It is unlikely that the site will be available for improvement in the short term as British Rail consider it to be operational land, but in the interim it should still be available to meet some parking needs albeit in a less than satisfactory manner.

Multi-Storey Car Parking: Because of the lack of land available for development as ground level car parks, it has been suggested that multi-storey car parks should be built on the site of the Back Madoc Street car park (which is privately owned) or at either or both car parks off Gloddaeth Street. While the Local Authorities would welcome the provision of a multi-storey car park in Back Madoc Street as part of a comprehensive shopping development, it is not considered economically viable to construct such a provision on either or both the Gloddaeth Street car parks. In order to be cost effective, a multi-storey car park must be continually in use and, as is the case in large conurbations, this can only be done if on-street parking in central areas is prohibited or controlled by parking meters, a situation which would be impractical in Llandudno where the parking problem is generally confined to the peak summer season.

Costs per additional multi-storey car space are likely to be in the order of seven times more expensive than for surface parking. The Back Madoc Street area is considered to be the only location where multi-storey parking is ever likely to be remotely feasible. However, the site also represents the only opportunity where improvements could reasonably be made to the range of retail accommodation available in the town by the development of larger shop units. The district plan makes provisions for a shopping development on this site on the basis that car parking is provided above the proposed shops. It would not be reasonable to totally restrict the development of the town as a shopping centre by safeguarding the possibility of providing only a multi-storey car park on the site when a combined shopping/car parking scheme is both an appropriate and feasible option. The local planning and highway authorities will seek to make the necessary financial commitment to cover the additional costs of foundation and structural works needed to ensure the provision of multi-storey car parking above the shopping development proposed for the Back Madoc Street site.

On-street Parking: It is apparent from the above review that on-street parking in Llandudno must continue to cater for the greater part of parking demand. It is also clear that parking capacity will be inadequate at peak periods and it is therefore imperative that the optimum use is made of on-street parking spaces. There are two ways in which this can be done:-

1. by seeking to maximise the number of on-street parking spaces,

2. by seeking to make the most beneficial use of such parking space.

Management of Parking Spaces. It is generally understood that unless a town centre has a comprehensive and positive policy for parking, it can lose its attraction as a shopping centre and, as a consequence, trade can be lost to other towns where there are more effective parking measures in operation. A comprehensive parking policy therefore can have a direct effect on a town's commercial well-being. Although by far the most satisfactory type of parking accommodation is a system of well-sited off-street car parks, it is apparent that on-street parking in Llandudno will need to continue to cater for the greater part of the parking demand and it is in the centre of the town that the most pressure is and will continue to be on parking spaces. It is therefore essential to use the spaces available to increase the number of parking spaces are extremely limited.

When the attractively sited off-street spaces become available on land adjacent to the railway station, it will then be necessary for appropriate measures to be used from time to time to control all on and off-street parking in the town centre. For the long-term parker, over 2 hours, the off-street parks will be more suitable with kerb parking more suitable for the shorter stay, e.g. those people wishing to park near to a particular destination.

In order to achieve a balance between short-term and long-term parking to the economic benefit of the town, the on-street spaces will need to be subject to limitations on the period of time the spaces are occupied, in this way, turnover of spaces can be achieved and more cars can occupy the central area spaces than in a situation where no measures exist to limit the duration of parking. Thus, one-hour parking could be appropriate in Mostyn Street, Clonmel Street, St. Georges's Place, Gloddaeth Street (Mostyn Street to Arvon Avenue), Lloyd Street (Mostyn Street to Chapel Street) and Trinity Square. In this way, the turnover of the usage of non-street parking spaces could be increased in and around the town's central shopping area.

The Parade, North Parade, South Parade, Madoc Street, Vaughan Street, Charlton Street, Arvon Avenue, Chapel Street, Deganwy Avenue and Caroline Road are all conveniently located in relation to the main shopping area. However, hotels and guest houses are situated in these streets and any limitation on parking must take into account the fact that two types of parking, short-term and long-term, are to be accommodated. Therefore, it is suggested that parking on these streets should be confined to two hours during the period 9.00am. to 6.00pm, in this way, space would be available for hotel guests from 4.00pm to 11.00am. for unrestricted parking and for the short-term parking during the day.

An on-street parking Order could be introduced, which would specify those areas where kerb side parking is permissible and also indicate which type of vehicle can use the spaces provided within the defined area. In this way areas close to the main shopping streets could be reserved for the parking of private cars. However, an integrated parking policy, including a limitation on the amount of time that the parking spaces may be occupied and a realistic pricing mechanism will be required if parking demands are to be adequately met in the post-1985 period and if an equitable allocation of available space is to be achieved between those requiring parking space for a short period, i.e. shoppers, and those people wishing to park their cars for a long period, e.g. hotel guests, day trippers and local office/shop workers wishing to park their cars in the town centre. Outside the town centre, control could be relaxed in areas such as North Shore towards Craig-y-Don, West Shore, in residential areas where amenity conditions permit, and also where dual use can be made of school playing areas.

Such management measures of the existing parking spaces, augmented by some 380 additional spaces within and adjoining the town centre should be adequate for the expected demands and maintain the attractiveness of the town centre. However, as it is not possible to predict accurately traffic problems in the latter part of the plan period, it is not proposed to suggest at present any definite mechanism to limit the usage of parking space in the long term. The situation would be kept under review and proposals to bring about an acceptable balance between supply and demand, particularly in and around the town centre, will be brought forward when appropriate.

Day Visitor/Peripheral Parking. After Stage I of the A55 Expressway and the Llandudno Link Road are operational, traffic flows into the town can be expected to increase significantly. It is anticipated that by 1996 some 67,00 vehicular trips over a average August day could be expected to and from Llandudno compared with 38,000 vehicles at present and therefore an increasing demand for parking is to be anticipated. In the peak period, much of the long-term increase in parking demand will come from the anticipated increase in the number of day visitors.

As indicated in policy 8D, it is intended to construct a new section of road from the Links Hotel on Conwy Road to the Promenade and improve Maesdu Road. The roundabout at the Links Hotel will therefore form a critical interceptor for traffic approaching Llandudno from the new Link Road and there will be an attractive outer ring road system to divert traffic away from the town centre to the West Shore area or the North Shore at Craig-y-Don. The car park has a capacity of 260, the usage of both car parks will increase with better signing once the road improvements referred to above are carried out. It is considered that greater usage of these car parks would be equal to some 150-200 extra spaces.

For day visitors who cannot be channelled in either of these directions and wish to visit the central area, it would be advantageous if an area of land could be used during the summer as a seasonal car park, reverting to its main use outside the period of peak summer demand. In view of the proposed development of sports facilities in the Maesdu area, the dual usage of the existing school playing field off Conwy Road as a hard playing surface and seasonal car park accommodating 400 vehicles would be ideal since the site is located on what will be the main access into the town.

A car park of 200 spaces at Nant-y-Gamar Road would improve parking provision, and thus increase the recreational potential of the eastern section of Llandudno Bay. This should help to spread visitor pressures from the more congested sections of the beach, but it will be necessary to give very careful consideration to design and landscaping as the site is within the landscape conservation area.

The proposals outlined above are not sufficient to meet the projected increase in demand for car parking spaces generated by day visitors, in fact, there is a shortfall of some 300 spaces. Echelon parking along the promenade from Llandudno to Craig-y-Don would accommodate future demand, but such an option has been discounted on amenity grounds. The projected demand for car parking spaces from day visitors could result in increased kerbside parking in residential areas.

Deganwy Concern has been expressed about the difficulty of access to the beach for residents of Deganwy and the shortage of adequate parking facilities adjacent to Traeth Melyn. No car parking allocation has been made at Platt Field at the present time but its use as a car park, in conjunction with a footbridge over the railway line leading to the beach, will be considered if finance becomes available at a future date.

8.3. British Rail Goods Depot and Access Road

The effect of the Secretary of State's decision regarding the new A55 Trunk Road is that rail access to British Rail's existing goods depots at Colwyn Bay and Llandudno Junction will be lost. British Rail have taken steps to include in their annual Parliamentary Bill, powers to enable them to acquire compulsory land for a replacement goods depot at Llandudno Junction.

An access road is required to link the proposed goods depot with the existing A55. The new road is intended not only as an access to the goods depot but also as the means of providing access to the proposed industrial land to the west of the goods depot (Policy 2B). British Rail will construct the road to such a standard that it can be adopted by the County Council as a public highway.

8.4. Public Transport

The plan area is well served by the public transport and as further development takes place, it is important that public transport should be able to respond to these changes. The County Council's Public Transport Plan 1979-80 contains a policy to encourage and assist public transport to respond quickly and flexibly to serve new developments within Gwynedd.

In the Public Transport Plan 1979-80, the County Council have undertaken to investigate the practicability of re-opening Conwy railway station as a halt. Within the terms of this local plan, it is important that future developments in the vicinity of the station do not prejudice the establishment of a halt.

Some facilities are available in Llandudno for tour coaches but the parking of some of these coaches on-street does cause problems. A coach park has been provided off Builder Street West and it is considered that its usage needs to be encouraged.

Reference must be made to the problems sometimes encountered by stage bus operators in Llandudno caused by the parking of vehicles on bus stop areas, necessitating buses to stop in through carriageway to set down and pick up passengers and thus obstructing free traffic flow. Further consideration may need to be given to the introduction of a bus clearway order to prevent cars parking on bus stops on the main streets in Llandudno in the light of experience gained in implementing such an order in Conwy and Llandudno Junction.

8.5. Standards

In order to avoid congestion on public roads and in the interests of amenity and safety, all proposals for commercial, tourist, industrial or residential uses should be designed to accommodate operational parking requirements on the basis set out in supplementary planning guidance current when the proposal is formulated. Similarly, it will be necessary in the majority of cases to make on-site provision for the non-operational parking demand generated by the activity in question. However, in congested central areas, where parking is not normally provided on an individual basis, non-operational requirements may be relaxed.

The series of publications Design in Gwynedd set out in detail an approach to various aspects of development which the Local Planning Authorities and the Highway Authority expect applications to have had regard to in formulating their proposals. One section of the publication deals with the design of residential roads. It is aimed at ensuring the safety of both pedestrian and motorist while permitting roads to form a visually attractive and harmonious component of the residential environment. While this guidance is not intended to be rigid, and will indeed be reassessed from time to time, it will be used as a means of vetting applications on a consistent basis. It is considered that the current guidance is sufficiently flexible to allow designers to make full use of the possibilities of any site.

Often car parking provision or access arrangements, necessary for road safety reasons, are made to the detriment of visual amenity. As a large proportion of the plan area is either urban or rural conservation area it is essential that all such improvements or developments are designed to be fully integrated with their surroundings and/or fully landscaped.

9. PUBLIC UTILITIES

9.1. General

Deficiencies in any of the essential basic services in an area can act as a threshold, inhibiting further development unless remedial action is taken to overcome such shortfalls. As Llandudno-Conwy is designated a growth area in the approved Caernarfonshire Structure Plan it is expected that the various agencies involved will give appropriate priority to the provision of basic infrastructure so that the forecast level of development anticipated in the plan can be adequately accommodated. The primary problems in the plan area are those of surface water/land drainage run-off and the provision of adequate sewage disposal facilities, particularly in the longer term.

9.2. Sewerage and Sewage Disposal

Such problems that exist in relation to the plan area's network of sewers arise almost entirely from surface water overloading. Recent surveys by the Welsh Water Authority indicate that apart from the actual outfall pipes, modest works to the network will overcome foul sewerage difficulties provided that steps can be taken to relieve the system of large surface water loadings from certain areas. Overloading of combined systems which accept both foul sewage and storm water is not considered to be a reliable indicator of a system's ability to accept additional foul sewage flows. Population growth is usually accommodated by new developments which can be served by separate foul and storm water systems, and therefore additional amounts of foul sewage to be carried by the older combined sewers are likely to be marginal in relation to their design capacity.

Whilst present sewage discharges to the Conwy Estuary give rise to localised aesthetic and bacterial contamination of water used for recreational purposes, the Water Authority consider this cannot be seen as a major deterrent to development.

In the short term, the Water Authority propose to extend a number of short outfalls, at present discharging crude sewage in the Conwy Estuary above low water mark, install additional comminution facilities, and to improve operating efficiencies at the West Shore outfall.

In the long term none of the existing outfalls are considered to be adequate. After studying the whole area in detail for some years the Welsh Water Authority published a report on sewerage and sewage disposal in Aberconwy and Colwyn in the Autumn of 1979. That report indicates the long term need to remove pollution from sewage discharges on beaches at Penrhyn Bay, West Shore, Deganwy and Conwy Morfa and to replace outfalls. The preferred long-term solution is considered by the water Authority to be a single long sea outfall at Penrhyn Bay to accommodate flows from Llandudno, Conwy and Colwyn Bay. However, in view of the high capital costs involved relative to the current financial climate, the Water Authority are unable to predict when such a scheme might be implemented. Consequently, the scheme is not included in the Water Authority's current Capital Expenditure Programme.

Although the Local Planning Authorities welcome the short term improvements proposed by the Welsh Water Authority, they do not share the view that there is not an immediate and serious problem in the Conwy Estuary, nor do they accept the level of priority given to the regional drainage scheme by the Water Authority. They do, however, support the preferred solution favoured by the Water Authority, a long sea outfall at Penrhyn Bay. It is understood that this facility will be properly landscaped at its landward end and that the treatment works site, shown on the Proposals Map, is merely a long term standby in the event of future changes in the standard of discharge. The planning authorities will expect the reserve treatment works site to be planted with a perimeter tree belt at the time the outfall is constructed so that substantial cover will have developed should a works be needed at a later date. The local planning authorities will continue their efforts to secure the early implementation of the regional discharge scheme providing for a long sea outfall at Penrhyn Bay so as to ensure adequate sewage disposal facilities for the plan are in the future.

9.3. Surface Water/Land Drainage

Responsibility for surface water run-off and land drainage is a complex matter with several authorities having permissive or supervisory power, but no one agency accepting overall responsibility for the complete system. Basically, main rivers and adopted surface water sewers relating to development are the concern of the Welsh Water Authority, while in relation to land drainage elsewhere responsibility is primarily a matter for the individual land owner.

Away from "main rivers" District Councils have powers to undertake land drainage maintenance works in default and to undertake capital scheme for land drainage with the consent of the Welsh Water Authority. Highway Authorities are responsible for the disposal of surface water from roads. The Welsh Water Authority exercises a general supervisory role over all matters relating to land drainage in its area.

Land drainage presents a major problem in most parts of the plan area, but notably the catchment areas of the Rivers Creuddyn, Ganol, Wydden and Gyffin. Fundamentally the problems are caused by the increase in the amount and rate of surface water run-off following development being channelled into inadequate water courses. Often it is the low gradients and low lying nature of the surrounding land downstream which causes flooding, particularly when outfalls are tide locked. Where new developments are proposed, the onus will be on the developer to make adequate provision to cater for surface water run-off and where necessary to limit and delay the rate of run-off from the site to allow for downpour and tidal conditions.

Within the catchment area of the Afon Creuddyn, the Welsh Water Authority will be undertaking remedial works to ensure surcharging in the vicinity of St. Andrews Avenue is not a recurring problem.

The construction of the new North Wales Coast Road between Mochdre and Llandudno Junction will affect the Afon Ganol by the way of major channel alterations and loss of flooding storage volume due to the new road embankment. The Water Authority's requirements are that the existing flood storage situation should not be worsened and consequently a shallow, excavated area is required at Glan Conwy Corner to provide the necessary flood storage capacity lost to the new road embankment. The bed of the flood storage area will be grassed and it is anticipated that the area will be dry most of the time. The periphery of the lagoon will be landscaped to complement the landscape proposals to be provided in conjunction with the Expressway.

When heavy rain coincides with high tide levels in the Conwy estuary, flooding occurs in the vicinity of the railway station at Llandudno Junction due to the tidelock conditions stopping the Afon Wydden discharging into the estuary. In flood storage area at Marl Drive so that water can back up safely in tidelock conditions. The area will be grassed and could be made available for public open space purposes if required.

9.4. Water Supply

Water supply for public consumption and direct abstraction for the industry is not regarded as a constraint to the level of residential and industrial growth proposed in policies 1A and 2A.

9.5. Refuse Collection and Disposal

There are no local authority refuse tips operative within the plan area, the capacity of both the Maesdu Tip, Llandudno and Morfa Tip, Conwy being exhausted. This situation has led to the use of the Conwy Valley Tip at Dolgarrog which has further capacity.

At the present time, the Borough Council are in the process of preparing a Waste Disposal Plan which should be published in 1981/2. until this Borough-wide strategy is complete, it is not possible to frame firm proposals for methods and/or sites for the disposal of refuse within the plan area. However, it will be difficult, given the built-up nature, topography and land drainage situation in Llandudno-Conwy for a site to be found where crude tipping would be both environmentally and technically acceptable. In special circumstances it may be possible to find sites requiring landfill/environmental improvement within the plan area where the tipping of treated refuse could be acceptable, but generally sites for disposal must be considered on a Borough-wide rather than community basis. Should centralised refuse treatment plant be required to facilitate refuse disposal in future it would probably be best located in the plan area and could be accommodated on land allocated for industrial purposes on the Proposals Maps.

Attempts are being made to extend the general refuse collection service to provide for the collection of larger items of household refuse and discourage fly tipping. It may, however, prove necessary within the plan period to adopt an alternative system for such refuse involving the provision of several small Civic Amenity Act skip sites. When locating such sites an attempt will be made, wherever possible, to combine the skip site with an existing Borough Depot so as to maximise the level of supervision and control. Adequate screening will be provided to safeguard the amenities of the areas in which skip sites are located.

The redundant clay pit in Llandudno Junction has long been the source of concern from safety and environmental viewpoint but attempts to improve the area have so far been frustrated. If there are no drainage difficulties, the controlled tipping of refuse and waste material to fill and reclaim the clay pit for industrial purposes would provide an acceptable solution.

9.6. Gas

There has been a considerable growth in demand for gas over the past few years. The current supply position to Gwynedd is that the grid is nearing capacity but Wales Gas have indicated that any anticipated demand on the public tariff in the plan area could be accommodated. The major capital works proposal which will affect the gas situation within the plan period is an extension to the super grid from Old Colwyn to Black Cat Corner, Llandudno Junction. This will improve the scope for supplying industrial sites in Llandudno Junction.

9.7. Liquid Petroleum Gas

There is considerable concern in Llandudno regarding the location of the Maesdu Road LPG depot in relation to nearby schools and residential areas. Although the Health and Safety Executive have stated that all appropriate action has been taken by Wales Gas to improve safety facilities at the depot, recent disasters involving LPG elsewhere have given rise to anxiety among local residents and have cast doubt on the wisdom of conducting this kind of activity from a site in the predominantly residential sector of the town. The Borough and County Councils have expressed the opinion that the depot should be removed to an alternative site and that the question of the financing of such a removal be pursued with the Welsh Office and all other interested bodies as the scale of resources required to secure the relocation of the depot cannot be made available locally. The County Council are currently investigating potential alternative sites for the depot.

Should the depot ever be relocated, it is unlikely that a suitable alternative site would be found within the relatively heavily populated plan area. While the depot remains in operation, there is a requirement, set out in Welsh Office Circular 3/72, for the local planning authority to consult the Health and Safety Executive before granting planning permission for any development within 2km. of a listed major hazard such as the LPG depot.

9.8. Electricity

MANWEB anticipates no difficulties in providing an adequate supply of electricity to cater for any future development in the plan area. Major new developments will require small sub-stations but sites cannot be established in advance and they will continue to be agreed at the site planning stage in consultation with the developer. An expansion of the main Llandudno sub-station at Cwm Howard is required and a site extension has been approved.

9.9. Postal Services and Telecommunications

Currently, there are no proposals for innovations in postal services in the area.

The existing buildings and site housing the telephone exchange for Conwy, Deganwy and Glan Conwy are too small to accommodate telephone growth beyond the early 1980's and the Post Office proposes to carry out a phased transfer to a single large exchange in Marl Drive, Llandudno Junction.

9.10 Borough Council Depot and Stores

A modern replacement is needed for the Borough Council's multiplicity of old depot and workshop premises. As several of the existing facilities are in the Maesdu area of Llandudno, and this is one of the few areas of the town suitable for depot workshop uses, options in this area have been explored. Similarly a centralised site for the Borough's nursery gardens is required and land has been acquired for a joint nursery/allotment development at Cwm Howard, Llandudno.

10. IMPLEMENTATION

10.1. Introduction

The philosophy adopted for the preparation of the Llandudno/Conwy District Plan has been to follow closely Welsh Office guidance and to restrict the area of concern to land use planning. The exercise has thus been one of co-ordinating uses and of facilitating development by various agencies or individuals. Consequently, the Written Statement is generally framed in such a way as to indicate a planning preference for certain projects or to reserve land for various uses.

The resources appraisal is not therefore set out as a detailed capital budget but as a broad implementation programme. All the site allocations relating to actual proposals for development or the reservation of land and/or carrying out development is attributed to the promoting agency and an indication is given of the likely time scale for implementation.

The plan has been prepared in close co-operation with all public development agencies operating in the area and the proposals listed either appear in the capital programme of the responsible agency or a firm commitment by the agency has been notified to the local planning authority. Given that many of the proposals in the plan only imply a commitment to protect a particular site, the total financial resource implications are relatively small and are considered reasonable when the current budgets of the various agencies are projected over the plan period.

10.2. Abbreviations

A.B.C.	Aberconwy Borough Council
G.C.C.	Gwynedd County Council
L.T.C.	Llandudno Town Centre
L.A.W.	Land Authority for Wales
W.D.A.	Welsh Development Agency
W.W.A.	Welsh Water Authority
H.B.C.	Historic Buildings Council
A.M.	Ancient Monuments Branch, Welsh Office
B.R.	British Rail
W.O.	Welsh Office - Highways
N.C.C.	Nature Conservancy Council
G.H.A.	Gwynedd Health Authority
N.W.P.A.	North Wales Police Authority
C.W.	Church of Wales
P.S.A.	Property Services Agency
P.O.	Post Office
W.T.B.	Wales Tourist Board