PLANS for a cycle café at Llantarnam Lakes have been refused due to a lack of parking facilities.

Councillors refused the plans for a cycle café near Cwmbran after a report raised concerns over the lack of parking for customers and the distance between staff parking and the café.

The staff parking for the cycle café would have been located 360 metres away - or a three-minute walk - but the council’s highways team said this was too far.

The applicant, Kelly Eroglu, said she is extremely disappointed that the council has refused the application, especially given the café was meant to be for local people and cyclists.

She said: “It was put down as a cycle café.

“Most of the people wouldn’t be driving to the café, they’d be walking or cycling. I am extremely disappointed by this decision.

“It takes three minutes to walk from the staff car park and the council says this is too far.

“People working in Pontypool town centre have a seven-minute walk to work, it doesn’t make sense.”

Ms Eroglu said she would be appealing the decision and was grateful for all the support she had received from residents.

Ms Eroglu was hoping to speak on behalf of her application at the planning committee, but was told this was not possible.

READ MORE:

Instead, Llantarnam ward members Cllr Alan Slade and Cllr David Thomas spoke in support of the application.

Cllr Slade said the development is “an absolutely great idea”.

“This coffee shop would provide an attractive destination and would provide somewhere people would want to walk and cycle to," he added.

“Provision is made for staff parking but in somebody’s opinion it’s just too far away.”

The council’s highways team manager Craig Williams said that he recognised that some customers would walk and cycle to the café however “a number of customers would travel by car”.

Concerns were also raised in the planning meeting over the concept of the cycle café, given its location would not be on a cycle route.

Cllr Stuart Ashley said: “It’s not a natural cycle route. It’s ponds for fishing.”

Cllr Jason O’Connell said it was contradictory that the council was allowing a development like the police headquarters to use a nearby road for parking facilities but a small independent coffee shop could not.