Plans for Traveller Site in Flintshire Village Recommended for Approval amid Land Contamination Concerns

PLANS for a Traveller site in a village in Flintshire have been recommended for approval as concerns about land contamination have been addressed.
Councillors originally considered a retrospective application to change the use of land at Station Road, Sandycroft to host a two-pitch family Traveller site in March 2023.
A decision was put on hold by Flintshire Council’s planning committee for tests to be carried out to assess contamination issues at the site, which is near a former landfill.
The proposals, which also include the construction of two day rooms, are now due back before committee members this week.
The scheme has been backed to go ahead by the local authority’s chief planning officer after it was shown that any risks posed by contamination could be remediated.
In a report, Andrew Farrow said: “The development lies within the vicinity of the former Station Road landfill site and therefore has the potential for contamination.
“Following the application being deferred by the planning committee on March 1, 2023, an intrusive site investigation has been carried out and a report submitted to the council.
“The contaminated land officer has confirmed the findings of the report and has raised no objection to the proposal subject to the further work as identified by the report being carried out.
“A condition has been suggested requiring the carrying out of the identified further work, and in particular the submission of the remediation and verification details, which will conclude the site investigation process.
“The submitted information demonstrates that the proposal is compliant with policy and that the development does not result in any risk to receptors, including residents of the site.”
A total of five letters of objection have been received against the proposals.
Concerns raised include fears over the stability of the land and that the plans would cause road safety issues.
In relation to access arrangements, Mr Farrow added: “The site uses an existing unadopted access road, which is unchanged by the proposal.
“The highways authority have confirmed that they have no objection to the proposal and have not made a recommendation on highway grounds.”
The committee will meet to make a decision on the application on Wednesday (June 19, 2024).

By Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter