The headline to this article is somewhat misleading – anyone who has been involved with a Planning Committee will know that they don’t have a category of ‘gamble on the future’ as part of the criteria for approving or rejecting Planning Permission.
The only condition that they could have applied at the time would have been a Section 106 which permits a Local Authority to levy a charge for improvements to community facilities and amenities in the event of develops that would have an impact such as funding towards education if a large housing estate was built or road improvements as a result of retail developments.
If the Football Club was still in private ownership at the time Section 106 could not have been given to a private developer.
The whole issue is probably down to Planning Officers not experienced enough to secure the best from a developer who kin all honesty was running rings around everyone at the time. Commercial operators vs Public Sector Officers — I think most people know who would win!
The Council failed to even put enforcement action on the developer for the state of the site when there would surely have been some environmental reason for getting it done– rats etc!
The lack of additional build would have been on the commercial basis that the demand for student accommodation has decreased with less foreign student and far more ‘day – travel to learn’ students rather than residential from away.
Best chance of development would be more concerts making money or Wrexham FC jumping 2 or 3 leagues– unfortunately the former is more likely than the latter!