Council to look for land for Traveller site

Denbighshire Council has revealed the five pieces of land it could use for a new Gypsy and Traveller site.
The council had planned to put a residential and a transit site at the Green Gates East site at St Asaph.
But in March this year the council’s cabinet voted to only have the residential site at Green Gates East and instead have the transit site decided when the Local Development Plan was drawn up.
The list of possible sites will go before county councillors on the communities committee when it meets next Thursday.
The sites include Rhuallt – land off Holywell road at Rhuallt, the former school field at Rhuallt, land off the B5429 at Rhuallt and two plots of land on the Henllan Road in Denbigh.
£179,960 has been allocated to bring both sets of sites forward and obtain planning permission.
Upper Denbigh and Henllan county councillor, Geraint Lloyd-Williams, was surprised at the inclusion of the Denbigh plots.
He said: “The two sites within the ward of Upper Denbigh and Henllan are not what I would call ideal locations, which would not provide easy access to and from the A55, the clue is in the title of the proposed sites. They are to be used as they transit through our county, all the other sites have straight forward access off the A55, so hopefully the Henllan sites won’t get through the selection process. I have spoken to land tenant who was shocked to hear from planning officers on Tuesday morning as to what was proposed with the land he farms.”
And Tremeirchion county councillor, Christine Marston, said:  “I wish to object most strongly to all three proposed  sites in Rhuallt. I can confirm that myself and the community I represent will vigorously oppose any such developments on planning grounds. All three sites are inappropriate and poorly selected. “

By Shane Brennan – Local Democracy Reporter