A PLAN to demolish a cliff top Porthmadog home and replace it with a modern, larger, new building has been refused by councillors after receiving a flood of objections.

The application to demolish Trwyn Cae Iago, a bungalow at Borth-y-Gest, has attracted criticism from nearby residents and Porthmadog Town Council.

The council said it should be refused as the development “is too large, too prominent, and incompatible with the environment.”

Gwynedd Council received “many objections to the proposal”, a report outlines, saying that the scheme would be an over-development of the area, and would have a “significant impact on the character of the area.”

The developers argue that a similar project nearby for a larger modern home was granted in September 2014 and “consider that the circumstances in that case are comparable in many significant respects” to this proposal.

In its application, developers said that “whilst the new dwelling would be of contemporary design, it would not exceed the height of the existing dwelling it would replace and would include traditional materials such as local stone, render, brick and timber, and be covered by a Sedum roof”.

“The proposed house is now considered to be of a scale and design that is appropriate to its setting.

“Whilst not mimicking neighbouring building styles, it would respect the general character and appearance of the other dwellings in this area.”

The planning officers’ report said that “a proportion of the proposed dwelling continues to be outside the development boundary, and its size and scale is substantially larger than the existing property on the site”.

“Clear advice has also been given on how the oppressive impact and the impact on the amenities of nearby properties can be overcome,” officers added.

“The proposed house is substantially larger than the existing house, and it has a substantially larger visual impact than the existing traditional building. It is not considered that the proposal is in keeping with its visual site, and the proposed house has not been designed in a way that respects its surroundings.”

The home was refused by committee members in accordance with officers’ recommendations.