Charlotte Church wins approval for Elan Valley wellness retreat

Singer Charlotte Church’s plans to open a wellness retreat have been unanimously approved by councillors.

The star plans to turn the former home of fashion designer Laura Ashley in the Elan Valley, Powys, into a wellbeing and healing retreat.

The proposals include converting part of a barn and installing solar panels.

But plans to address these concerns as part of the proposal meant those objections could not be sustained, the Local Democracy Reporting Service quoted a senior planning officer as saying.

The concerns centred on the suitability of access from a narrow country lane – the C1219 – with the application’s estimate for additional traffic volume questioned.

But a council highways manager said the number of vehicles would not increase significantly and refreshing the road signs and adding road markings would address concerns over visibility at the junction.