WHITLAND councillors are concerned at a county council plan to allow a developer to avoid building affordable housing by "paying it off".

At last Thursday's meeting of the county council's planning committee an application to remove a condition to build an affordable housing unit on land at Aelybryn Farm, Spring Gardens, Whitland, was approved.

The amendment to the original application for seven residential dwellings, passed in 2008, was made as the applicant wishes to sell the plots of land privately.

A condition of the original approval was that one of the properties be designated as affordable housing.

It was explained that it would not be practicable to build an affordable-type home in such a transaction.

The applicant has now offered to contribute £12,000 to the county council's housing department for each plot sold, a potential revenue of £84,000.

Speaking at a meeting of the town council, three days before the committee meeting at which approval was recommended, members expressed their concern about the application.

Councillor Keith Jones said: "The county council is allowing the clause to be removed for remuneration."

He added: "As they are not ensuring that affordable houses are being built in Whitland for people, how are they going to provide for affordable housing?

"Affordable houses are not being built because the county council is getting a pay-off from the developer."

Carmarthenshire Council principal development officer Matthew Miller said: "We think that this site lends itself to large detached bungalows and that we would get more affordable homes if we take the money and invest it elsewhere in Whitland. The money could be used to build affordable homes on other local sites."