Councillors have issued an ultimatum to a housing association which wants to build 18 homes on the site of a former Penparcau care home over its refusal to install a connecting path to make the site more accessible to the rest of the village and lessen any road safety risk.

The application by Wales and West Housing seeks to demolish the former Bodlondeb care home as well as the former school that sits at the site entrance on Penybont hill.

A full application for 18 homes on the site went before the council’s development management committee on 12 March.

It was recommended for approval, but members decided to delay a decision until they could visit the site amid concerns over road safety, access, and the loss of a path connecting the homes to the rest of the village.

Local councillors Shelley Childs and Carl Worrall raised concerns over access to the proposed new homes leading onto the A4120, while councillors also called for a connecting path to make the site more accessible to the rest of the village.

The application went before the committee on 9 April – again recommended for approval – despite Wales and West Housing refusing to act on councillors’ concerns.

But councillors stood their ground and agreed to only approve the plans if a suitable footpath access for the site is added to the scheme, otherwise they would turn it down.

Cllr Maldwyn Lewis told members on 9 April that the site visit panel felt “the opinion was quite strong that there should be access there”, and while “there is no doubt we need the social housing”, he said he would vote against the plans “if we don’t get assurances” on the footpath access.

Penparcau councillor Carl Worrall said he had been using the closed access for years and said he had a “massive concern” over safety if it is kept closed.

“We want to connect Penparcau, it’s one of the loveliest villages you’d ever want to be in,” he said.

“It would be safer to have a path to the park and the school and it would connect the whole community.”

Cllr Rhodri Evans said he “wouldn’t be happy to approve the application as is without some sustainable travel.”

“People should be able to walk to and from that site,” he said.

Members heard that planning officers “tried very hard” to get Wales & West Housing to agree on installing a connecting footpath, but that the housing association was “adamant” that they wouldn’t provide one and it “would not be possible without completely redesigning the scheme” and could compromise grant funding for the development.

“Whilst it is disappointing that a link is not being provided, it is the opinion of the authority that this fact alone on planning balance does not justify rejection of the application,” members were told.

Councillors agreed to defer powers to planning officers to approve the application if a suitable footpath can be installed, or to refuse the scheme if no access is forthcoming.