Anger as Newport planning bid refused after two years

Daniel Garaiacu from Beechwood in Newport, submitted his application for a 'proposed garage with deck area to roof' on Monday, March 7, 2022. The decision on the application by Newport City Council was issued on Thursday, May 2, 2024, two years and three months after the application was submitted.

Mr Garaiacu, 35, said: "There are several garages within the same area with a balustrade and a roof decking area that have been approved by the council.

Proposed garage, located minutes away from Mr Garaiacu's house. (Image: Newsquest)

"My application shouldn't be refused as I'm just trying to get a safe place to park my car in the night."

Mr Garaiacu cited 'a safe place to park his car at night' and 'the safety of his young children' as the reasons for the proposed garage, adding that his car had been broken into "several times in the past 3 years".

Mr Garaiacu's car is used as a taxi and has been broken into on his road, several times. (Image: Newsquest)

The 35-year-old said the last time he had a break-in into his car, "it costed me £300+ pounds to fix the damages."

He also claimed he sought planning permission to level the ground in front of his house as it is uneven and creates a hazard for his young children, who are unable to play in the garden due to uneven ground.

Site where garage was proposed (Image: Newsquest)

On Thursday, May 2, 2024, Mr Garaiacu's planning application had been refused.

A spokesperson for Newport City Council, said: "A planning application was received for a proposed garage at an address on Shelley Road in Newport.

"Full reasons for the refusal of the application have been published on our website.

Daniel Garaiacu (Image: Newsquest)

Site where garage was proposed (Image: Newsquest) (Image: Newsquest)

"The principal reason for refusal was that the appearance of the proposed development would be seen as a prominent and unsympathetic addition to the streetscape.

"There was also a lack of detail in the plans which failed to mitigate concerns."

Site of proposed garage, with uneven ground which poses a hazard for Mr Garaiacu's young children. (Image: Newsquest)

More than two years

The Beechwood resident, Mr Garaiacu, said he was "frustrated and upset" that the application took more than two years to be refused, when he was given an estimated timeline of "between 6 to 8 weeks" for a decision from the council.

He added: "Why take that long just to refuse it when this is important for safety reasons? No one notified me of the planning refusal, I saw it on the website."

In front of the proposed garage right now, stands a lamppost and overgrown vegetation (Image: Newsquest)

A spokesperson for Newport City Council, said: "The reason the application took so long to be determined was due to our attempts to negotiate with the applicant’s agent in order to address plan inaccuracies and design concerns.

"Unfortunately requested information and responses were not provided in a timely manner."

At the end of the close is a public footpath which Mr Garaiacu said is used by unsavoury characters. (Image: Google Maps)

What next

The Newport City Council spokesperson, said: "The council has followed all its normal procedures when determining this application. The applicant has a right of appeal if they disagree with the outcome.

"The council has advised the applicant that should they wish to make a complaint, they are welcome to do so through our complaints procedure."

The application can be found on the Newport City Council website using planning reference number, 22/0218.