Investigation of private water supplies in and around a caravan park near Hay-on-Wye need to take place before more static caravan pitches can be erected there.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s planning committee on Thursday, January 15, members reviewed an application by James Lloyd-Jones of Hillandale Caravan Parks to add 21 static caravan pitches at the Borders Hideaway Holiday Park at Clyro near Hay.

The proposal also includes provision for vehicle tracks, package treatment plant and a drainage field.

Lodged with Powys planners back in October 2024, the application is a smaller version of a previous application.

This proposal has faced local opposition and local Powys councillor for the area Cllr James Gibson-Watt (Liberal Democrat – Glasbury) had exercised his right to call in the application in front of the committee.

Senior planning officer Richard Edwards presented the report on the application and recommended approval.

Mark Jetley, who owns Forrest Coombe, which just outside the development sites, spoke at the meeting and objected to the proposal.

Mr Jetley said: “Forest Coombe is a 300-year-old farmhouse which shares a long boundary with the holiday park and sits below the development and most likely to be impacted by it.”

He explained that there is a need to have a 50-metre exclusion zone around water boreholes, so they are not polluted and that the one on his land had not been included in the planning documents.

Mr Jetley said that it had been registered with the British Geological Survey and the council’s Environment department as a “single dwelling borehole”.

He added that he had passed on the details to the Powys planning portal and Mr Edwards as the case officer.

Mr Jetley said: “The borehole indicated on the documents seen today is not the only one.

“There is a second on the land of Forest Coombe which is situated below where the proposed drainage field is and all – 100 per cent – of the drainage field would be included in the 50-metre radius.

“Logic would dictate that this proposal – in its current form with the drainage field located where it is – should be rejected or sent back for revision.”

He said that while the caravans would be 90 metres away from his home, a sewage plant would only be 15 metres away and “any overflow” would come to the “front door” of Forrest Coombe due to the steepness of the land.

Mr Jetley explained that the site suffers from “significant surface water flooding” with video evidence having been supplied to Powys planners.

Cllr David Selby (Liberal Democrat – Newtown Central and South) asked: “How can we resolve this issue with the boreholes? It’s important that we have that information.”

Mr Edwards said: “Condition 18 has been proposed as part of the recommendation which covers private water supplies. It’s not explicit as to exactly which borehole.”

He added that an “update report” which includes responses to the application right up to a couple of days before the meeting had comments about the private water supply and that there are “unregistered boreholes in the area.”

Mr Edwards believes this condition solved the borehole problem.

Condition 18 states: “No development shall commence until a Private Water Supply Risk Assessment, prepared by a qualified hydrogeologist or water specialist, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

“Development thereafter must be fully completed in accordance with the assessment and any mitigation measures provided prior to the commencement of development or agreed implementation timeframes.”

Cllr Jonathan Wilkinson (Conservative – Llangyniew and Meifod) said: “My worry is – would it be covered in this condition?”

Cllr Gareth E Jones (Powys Independents – Llanelwedd) suggested that Condition 18 should go up the pecking order and become Condition Two.

Cllr Jones said: “I always read conditions in priority order, and I wonder if there is any benefit making this (condition) a priority

Development Management Team Leader, Gemma James said that the condition could be re-worded to cover all boreholes in the vicinity and “all scenarios.”

Mrs James added: “The number of a condition does not allude to their importance. They all have to be complied with and discharged if required.”

She stressed that Condition 18 would need to be complied with before the development can start.

Eventually the committee went to a vote, which saw nine councillors vote to approve the application, and one councillor abstain.