Plans to build 16 affordable homes on the site of a former community centre in Hay-on-Wye have been lodged with Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority planners.

Pegasus Developments and Hedyn Housing Association are working together to redevelop the Oxford Road site, which was previously owned by Powys County Council.

They intend to build 12 two-bed houses and four one-bed flats as social rent tenure.

The proposal also includes access, car parking, landscaping, sustainable drainage, and associated works.

A pre-application consultation on the proposal ended on June 20.

Comments received during this process pointed out that the site: “has flooded multiple times a year recently and has regularly flooded over the years.

“The concern is that that proposed development will increase the risk of flooding elsewhere and put neighbouring properties at risk.”

Planning agents LRM Planning Ltd say the application is supported by a Flood Consequence Assessment (FCA).

LRM Planning said: “The FCA confirms that a section of the site lies in flood zones two and three for surface water and small watercourses.

“Within the drainage strategy are a proposed series of measures designed to minimise surface water flood risk, including introduction of infiltration drainage features to positively drain surface water run off and land drainage.

“These measures will fully address and alleviate the present surface water flood risk on site.”

LRM stress: “The development will not result in increased flood risk to neighbouring land or development, given that the drainage system is designed to manage storm events up to and including the 1 in 100-year event plus 40 per cent allowance for climate change.”

The previous owners of the site, Wales and West Housing Association, had received outline planning consent to build 19 dwellings at the site in January 2020.

While the specific planning consent is now out of date, it does establish the principle of being able to develop homes on the site.

LRM said: “In conclusion, the site offers an excellent opportunity to provide high quality affordable homes for those in housing need.

“It will assist with the housing crisis and utilise a brownfield site that benefited from recent residential consent, adhering to the place making agenda advocated by PPW (Planning Policy Wales).

“The high-quality design is achieved without any adverse material considerations arising.”

Comments on the proposal can be submitted to national park planners up to August 14 and a decision on the application would be expected soon afterwards.

The future of the site has been the talk of the town.

Earlier this year, councillor for Hay, Cllr Gareth Ratcliffe, who was elected as chairman of the national park authority at the end of June, had asked the cabinet member for housing and deputy council leader Cllr Matthew Dorrance, what was happening to the site.

Cllr Ratcliffe said: “The former community centre site has remained empty for several years, and there is growing concern about its future use.”

Cllr Dorrance said that he knew that Hedyn wanted to develop 16 homes for social rent and was waiting to find out more.