A PLANNING application will be discussed by councillors tomorrow that could open up access to the river Severn for leisure activities.

The plans by Going Green for a Living for land by Glandwr, Heol Vaynor, Newtown, are for an access track and area for parking known as a dropping off point.

The application is interlinked with another one which will be heard at the meeting to build four access and exit sites on the riverbank for canoes.

Cllr David Selby (Liberal Democrat, Newtown Central) will be speaking at the planning meeting to back the scheme.

Cllr Selby said: "Many residents will have received a letter about the Vaynor fields planning application.

"This is the application that originally included allotments, and  for football changing rooms.

"Over 100 objections were made to these plans from residents.

"The plans were then changed and this is what is being discussed  by the planning committee of which I am a member.

"The revised plans are only for a 2.5 metre wide access track and parking for trailers and cars, mostly for use by canoeists.

"In addition the entrance will be improved and the gate moved back to allow a vehicle with a trailer to pull off the road before opening the gate, which should help with the parking and access problems on Glandwr."

Cllr Selby added:  "It is my view and those I have asked that these changes remove the issues that were rightly brought up about the original plans, and the gate changes improve the current situation."

The original plans had been for parking spaces, changing room, polytunnel and sheds but these have now been dropped.

But these were changed as Stuart Owen, chairman of Open Newtown (formerly Going Green for a Living), explained : "The 100 plus letters were disappointing as we had a meeting planned with a residents' committee to show them the revised plans, with the allotments, polytunnels and changing rooms removed, based on resident feedback.

"We originally submitted the plans to start a discussion and once we met residents and received their views we went and changed things accordingly."

Planning officers are backing the proposal and Dunya Fourie, who wrote the report, said:  "The proposed changes to the area are considered minimal and are likely to continue to support general recreational recreational use of the field, while also opening up the river environment for recreation.

"It is considered the proposed scheme would enhance the recreational potential on these areas of open space and river.

The application is part of the Going Green for a Living's, now known as Open Newtown's, vision of managing open spaces more imaginatively into reality.

Soon, they will receive tenure of around 130 acres of land from PCC to be held in a Community Land Trust.

In 2018 Open Newtown received  £1.1 million from the Big Lottery to use on the project.