Plans to develop land at the former Llanwnnen primary school have been recommended for refusal by Ceredigion County Council planning officers despite pleas from the local councillor to approve.

An outline application that could see six new houses – including three affordable homes - built on land adjacent to the old school in Llanwnnen will go before the council’s Development Management Committee on 9 December.

The land was previously used as the school’s playing fields and a similar application to develop the site was refused last year due to its “unsustainable location” and that the number of homes in Llanwnnen had “already exceeded planned levels.”

The outline plans show a mix of semi-detached and detached homes, with three new accesses from the A475 to alleviate parking and highway concerns.

A council planning report said that developers are also “proposing a financial contribution towards the play area located in Llanwnnen, maintained by the Community Council”.

The application was referred to the committee at the request of local councillor Euros Davies.

He said: “This development is a 50-50 ratio of houses which is needed in the community of Llanwnnen and built on a brown field site going up to the boundary of the village formerly an education site.

“Llanwnnen has a bus route which commutes from Aberystwyth to Lampeter and through to Carmarthen.

“This is essential for the residents to commute to work, shopping etc to save on the transport carbon footprint which would be a positive for Ceredigion.

“Llanwnnen also benefits of a garage, a local shop, a public house and a Church.

“Some three miles from this development is the new area school of Ysgol Dyffryn Cledlyn and the development of these houses will benefit the future of the school with taxi service passing their doorstep for the children.

“Llanwnnen School closed its doors for the benefit of the new area school and now we can be thankful that a developer has taken on the old premises and the playing field and has already done a wonderful refurbishment of the old school; built two high spec one affordable for a young local couple to live and one open house which is lived in by a young local couple which hopefully be able to support the school.

“With a 50-50 ratio of houses which is very generous of the applicant and the willingness to contribute a sum of £6,000 to the community of Llanwnnen for the upkeep of the park which will benefit the children and the elderly to visit for their welfare to play and socialise.

“This should be placed high on the list for approval that someone is willing to support the welfare of the residents."

Ysgol Llanwnnen closed in January 2017 and merged with Cwrtnewydd and Llanwenog schools to form the new Ysgol Dyffryn Cledlyn in Drefach.

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The council planning officers’ report said that “the affordable housing provision and community benefits are not sufficient to outweigh” planning policy conflicts and the plan “would represent an unjustified departure from the development plan.”