Building 64 new homes on farmland in Denbigh would be “environmentally crazy”

Building on farmland is “environmentally crazy”, a county councillor has claimed.

Independent councillor Mark Young, who represents Denbigh Lower, made the comments as members prepare to rule on a development by Macbryde Homes in the town, which would see more than 60 houses built on former agricultural land.

Macbryde’s proposal, to be heard by the planning committee tomorrow (Wednesday), would see 64 two, three and four-bedroomed dwellings, on farmland between the old and new Ruthin Road in Denbigh.

The plans include six affordable homes and a £44,051.76 contribution from the company towards affordable housing.

Planning officers, who recommend the proposal, say a further £50,553.26 should be handed to the council to put towards open spaces provision.

Cllr Young said planning policy should be about “building affordable homes for our communities”.

He said: “The fact that we are building on farmland when we don’t need to is environmentally crazy. In the future it will cause food security issues.

“Quite simply we shouldn’t build on farmland – we don’t need to.

“The LDP should be about the right type of houses in the right places, led by the community and elected members – not enforced by Cardiff.

“We know what our communities need. It should be about building affordable homes for our communities.”

He believes the use of agricultural land in Denbighshire council’s Local Development Plan (LDP) came from Welsh Government’s insistence on  building 8,500 homes in the county.

Only around 100 per year were actually built he said. The latest LDP prescribes a need of just 3,000 dwellings – almost a third of the last one.

He said: “Obviously the last LDP was massively over-subscribed. As we have only built 100 per year it proves the point. That LDP would have taken decades to deliver.”

Denbigh Town council has objected to the proposal, saying it fears a detrimental effect on the Welsh language and it doesn’t meet the affordable homes need in the town.

It said 47% of any new development in the area should be affordable housing.

Denbighshire’s planning committee will hear the application tomorrow (Wednesday).

By Jez Hemming – Local Democracy Reporter