A scheme to site a beauty therapy business in a storage container unit on a Cardigan industrial estate has been deferred as planners await further details of a Welsh Water call to prohibit it for at least three years.

The application, by Mark Jukes, of Mark Jukes Containers, seeks to use a storage container for the beauty therapy business, as part of a trial run to see if it’s successful, at Parc Piliau, Pentood Industrial Estate.

A complication for the plans is the site is currently designated for industrial use and storage rather than for beauty therapy.

The application was considered by Ceredigion County Council’s development management committee, meeting on July 10, with an officer recommendation for refusal, mainly as it was not in a designated area for such businesses, and was not in the town centre.

Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water had also raised a concern, saying the existing Cardigan Waste Water Treatment Plant is at capacity; recommending a condition prohibiting occupation until March 2027 or until planned upgrading works have been completed.

Mr Jukes already runs an established container business – of some 15 years – at the Parc Piliau site, and sought permission to use a container as a dummy-run for the business his daughter wants to start.

A supporting statement for planners said: “The issue of principle of this application rests with the justification to site such business at this site. This site is allocated for B1, B2 and B8 use, and a beauty therapy business does not fit neatly into any use class and therefore, would be classed as a suis generis use class.

“This site has been chosen to run the business as a test facility to get a feel for the demand for such services in the area.

“Therefore, to prevent unnecessary overheads of a small business and to encourage success of the business, siting the business at this site would be the best option as the land is already owned by the family of the business.

“Without knowing the market for such services in the area, it would be onerous to ask a new business to purchase or commit to an expensive long-term lease of another site, when they could test the business on this site before committing to any future move.”

Despite the recommendation for refusal, members of the planning committee came in general support of the scheme, the business aspect of which has secured a Cynnal y Cardi grant subject to planning permission.

However, a sticking point, preventing a move to go against officer recommendation and approve, was the Dwr Cymru condition.

Members eventually backed the application being deferred, seeking clarification from Welsh Water/Dwr Cymru position on whether it was able to review its position; with powers to officers to refuse if that was not the case.