PLANS for work to be done to a Towy Valley supermarket have been refused.

Alun Littlejohns of CK Supermarket in Llandovery submitted a planning application to Carmarthenshire County Council for work to be done to the building.

Listed in the planning application was for new fenestration to the front of the shop, thermal upgrading to the rear walls and roof, the provision of an access/loading door and car park to the rear and for an ATM machine on the south elevation.

On October 11, the council refused the application on two grounds, the first reason was that the box profile cladding added to the exterior of the walls was considered to ‘introduce an alien design feature that fails to conform with or enhance the character and appearance of the area and would not preserve the character and appearance of the built and historic environment of the Llandovery conservation area.’ This cladding was also considered to be ‘unacceptably harmful’ to the setting of the adjacent Grade II listed Castle Hotel.

The second reason was that the proposed car parking facility would result in ‘traffic flow intensification of a sub-standard access in terms of width, layout, and visibility via a publicly used car park.’ The reason also included a lack of appropriate servicing/delivery arrangements and the works to create the access has resulted in the loss of two public car parking spaces from the public car park which planning officer said ‘give rise to concerns in terms of loss of public car parking provision and unacceptable impacts upon highway safety.’