LAND which formed part of a farm in the Wye Valley has been sold by Powys County Council at less than the expected price.

On Monday, August 10, a delegated decision was taken by portfolio holder for educaton and assets, Cllr Phyl Davies (Blaen Hafren – Conservative) to sell part of Rogerstone Farm, Cwmbach, which is less than a mile from the village of Glasbury.

The plot of about an acre was part of a number of PCC buildings and land lots for sale at an auction held by Brightwells at the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod Wells in October 2019.

On the night it failed to meet the reserve price of £210,000, since the the land was kept for on the for sale market.

Details of the deal are being kept confidential, but a report by commercial property manager, David Micah, explains that a deal needs to be done quickly.

This is so that a detailed planning application can be made, before outline planning permission runs out next year.

The planning application had been made by PCC itself.

Nearby residents had raised objections to it because of road safety concerns,.

Mr Micah, said: “The portfolio holder is advised that the current planning permission on the site is for outline development only, and a reserved matters

application will need to be submitted before March 2021.”

As the development site is in open countryside, the outline planning permission for eight homes, three of which should be affordable ones, cannot be renewed.

The land would then revert to agricultural use.

Mr Micah added: “The advice from the external auctioneer is that although the

proposed sale price is lower than was originally anticipated, the

land has been on the market for some considerable time – long

before Brightwells were appointed to offer it at auction.”

The property was valued at £250,000 by Savills as part of the 2018 Asset

Valuations of PCC’s surplus property.