Detailed plans submitted to replace Victorian terraced houses in Buckley with new homes

Detailed plans to replace a row of Victorian terraced houses in Buckley with ten new homes have been put forward.

Proposals to demolish a block of four properties, known locally as Jubilee Villas, were approved by councillors by a narrow vote in June last year.

The decision came despite a warning that it would result in the destruction of part of the town’s history, with a total of 22 objections received against the scheme.

A reserved matters application has now been submitted to Flintshire Council, which seeks consent for access arrangements, as well as the appearance, layout and scale of the development.

Representatives for Jubilee Homes (Buckley) Ltd, which is behind the proposals, said it would help to meet the need for housing locally.

In a planning statement, they said: “Jubilee Homes (Buckley) Ltd are an established housebuilder affiliated with Lingfield Homes Group with a strong track record of delivering high quality housing developments within Flintshire, Denbighshire and North Wales.
“The outline planning permission establishes the principle of development in the proposed location.
“The access, appearance, layout, scale and landscaping of the proposed development has evolved over a period of months through an iterative process informed by discussions with expert consultants and stakeholders.
“Subject to planning permission being granted, there are numerous socio-economic and environmental benefits arising from the proposed development, including the provision of new high quality market housing in a sustainable location.”

During last year’s planning committee meeting, a small majority of members voted to back the proposals in principle after opinions were split.

The application was recommended for approval by the local authority’s chief planning officer.

But local councillors voiced their opposition to the loss of the existing houses.

Buckley Bistre representative Richard Jones said: “When you make up a town like Buckley, we’ve got a lot of historical buildings.
“They may not be protected in any way, but they’re part of the infrastructure of the town and part of what makes it Buckley.”

However, Cllr Chris Bithell, cabinet member for planning, said he could see no reason to stop the plans from going ahead.

He said: “They are old buildings and as a former history teacher I am very much against old buildings disappearing.
“But basically, in planning and legal terms, because there’s no protection afforded to these particular properties, there’s no reason why they cannot be demolished.”

The proposals were backed by eleven votes to ten at the end of the debate.

A decision will be made on the reserved matters application at a later date.

By Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter