Community leader call on inspectors to uphold refusal of plans for 82 new homes in Wrexham

A community leader has expressed her hope that inspectors will uphold a decision to refuse plans for more than 80 new houses in Wrexham.

Earlier this year, members of Wrexham Council’s planning committee voted to deny permission for proposals to develop land on Top Road in Summerhill.

Residents showed their opposition by packing the public gallery at the town’s Guildhall and their views were reflected as the scheme was rejected because of concerns about road safety.

Macbryde Homes has now launched an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in a bid to have the decision overturned.

However, Gwersyllt west councillor Gwenfair Jones said she believed the inspectors should support the original outcome.

She said: “This site has been to Cardiff before and has been turned down, so I really hope they see sense and turn it down again.

“Nothing’s changed and there’s more traffic on the road now than there was ten years ago when it was considered before.

“A development in Gresford was recently turned down on the same kind of basis around road safety and the loss of open green space.

“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens because up to now I haven’t been consulted and when everything’s back to normal I will be giving the same reasons.”

Ahead of February’s meeting, the local authority’s chief planning officer had recommended the application for approval as he claimed it would in fact lead to safety improvements.

A representative for Macbryde, Stuart Andrews, said the upgrades would be “significant”.

Speaking at the time, said: “Much is made in objections to these proposals of the substandard nature of the existing highway network adjacent to the site and we would actually agree with this.

“Fundamental to this application are proposals to widen and add a footpath to Top Road, to realign the road and junction and add a footpath to Summerhill Road to enable all these roads to enable in a much safer way than they do at present.”

He said 20 out of the 82 proposed homes would be affordable and a financial contribution of almost £250,000 would be made to support nearby schools.

But the majority of councillors opposed the scheme after a highways official told them he believed it posed a danger to pedestrians.

Peter Douthwaite said he was concerned that the footpath outlined was too narrow and would put children at risk.
The proposals were refused by eleven votes to three with two abstentions.

By Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter