A call to keep three wooden Airbnb holiday cabins in rural Ceredigion, built without permission during the early days of the Covid pandemic, has been refused.

Rhys Gronow, of Llwyniwan, Rhydlewis sought retrospective permission from Ceredigion County Council for the three cabins, erected on April 1, 2020, to be used for Airbnb holiday lets, with two of the buildings serving as ‘glamping pods’ and the third as a bathroom facility.

An officer report says the cabins had been used for holiday purposes since their assembly up until an enforcement notice was served last august, the application seeking permission for their continued use.

Objections were received from Troedyraur Community Council, raising concerns of an increase in traffic and noise within the village of Rhydlewis from the development, council statutory consultees and Natural Resources Wales.

There were also five objections from neighbouring properties, raising concerns including an increase in traffic, claims of excessive noise levels “late into the evening” and antisocial behaviour, the close proximity to neighbouring properties, no active travel connectivity, and highway safety concerns.

One said: “All guests have use of an ‘entertainment’ area situated at the bottom of the applicant’s garden which backs on to a number of residents’ properties.
“There can be multiple families using this social area which includes loud music, singing, and shouting over the music,” adding “a loud party is enjoyed by all often late into the evenings including weeknights,” concluding: “The location of this site negatively impacts the lives of a number of residents which is not fair.”

An officer report, recommending refusal, said: “In light of receipt of several neighbour objections to this development, the potential harm to immediate neighbours has been thoroughly assessed. Given the rural location of the development site it is considered that the siting of the cabins are close to neighbouring properties on both north and south boundaries.

“The relatively restricted area of land provide for the siting of all three cabins (and amenity space for Llwyniwan and outbuilding/annexe known as Llwyn Iestyn - a property under the ownership of the applicant which bounds the application site) would result in an unacceptable intensified use which would likely result in excessive noise and disturbance to nearby occupiers, thus causing demonstrable harm to the living conditions that could be reasonably expected within such a rural village.

“Given that the development has previously been run unlawfully, the effects of the development on neighbouring amenity is confirmed by representations received as part of this application.”

The application was refused on grounds including it was “an unacceptable form of development in a linked settlement location,” highway safety concerns, and “would result in an unacceptable intensified use of land which would likely result in excessive noise and disturbance to nearby occupiers, thus causing demonstrable harm to the living conditions that could be reasonably expected within such a rural village”.