The Vale of Glamorgan Council has made a decision on two planning applications for the Barry area.

The council made the decisions relating to an electric vehicle canopy and the conversion of units into flats between Monday, November 4, and Sunday, November 10.

Electric vehicle charging area

The council has approved an application for the creation of a charging zone at Morrison's on Penny Way.

The development will see the erection of electric vehicle chargers, a canopy, a sub-station enclosure, an LV panel, a meter cabinet, and associated works.

There will be eight charging bays.

The development must begin within five years of the approval date and be carried out in line with the approved plans.

Prior to the first beneficial use of the development, a Biodiversity Enhancement Strategy addressing enhancement measures shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the council.

The strategy shall include bird/bat box provisions or alternative enhancements, landscaping features, and additional ecological enhancements.

If contamination is found at any time when carrying out the approved development, it must be reported in writing within two days to the Local Planning Authority, and all associated works must stop.

No further development shall take place unless otherwise agreed in writing until a scheme to deal with the contamination found has been approved.

Conversion of units to flats

An application for the proposed conversion of the remaining existing sales/displays storage area to three additional one-bedroom flats at 256-258 Holton Road has been refused by the council.

The council refused the decision, saying: "The proposed development would result in the complete loss of the existing A1 retail use within the ground floor of the building, and the application has provided no comprehensive justification or sufficient marketing report in support of the loss of this A1 use and why the use is no longer suitable or viable."

The council also said that the loss of the existing A1 retail use and subsequent loss of the existing shop front would result in the creation of a 'dead frontage to Holton Road, detrimental to its character and vitality.

By reason of its design and siting, relative to neighbouring properties, the 'proposed openings serving habitable rooms of the ground floor flats' would face directly onto the proposed shared amenity space, which would result in direct, close quarter views from the limited amenity space into the habitable rooms, providing little to no privacy to the future occupiers of the development and unacceptably impacting upon their living conditions and privacy.

"The gross internal floor area of the proposed flats would provide substandard living accommodation for occupiers, and the proposals would also fail to provide sufficient amenity space to serve the occupiers of the flats.

"The proposed development would therefore be a substandard form of living accommodation and result in an overdevelopment of the site that fails to meet the basic living standards and amenity requirements of future occupiers, and would impact upon their future well-being."