Land behind town centre hotel could become affordable housing development

Land at the rear of a town centre could be used for affordable housing development after new proposals were put forward.

In an application submitted to Wrexham Council by Castlemead Group Limited it has been proposed that the properties are built on land adjacent to the Premier Inn on Jacques Way, just off Mold Road.

It would see a section of the former Jacques scrapyard off Mold Road in Wrexham turned into 19 houses and six flats.

Part of the site is already home to the £2 million Premier Inn hotel which opened in October 2013.

Wales and West Housing would manage the social rented housing scheme in a bid to try to boost the amount of affordable housing in the area; with a market assessment carried out earlier this year finding that 4,586 households in Wrexham are in need of such accommodation.

Plans for the site were first unveiled over summer when a public information evening was held about the potential development.

Speaking at the time a spokesperson said: “The houses will be built for Wales & West Housing Association and if planning permission is successfully achieved the houses will be complete in late 2019.”

Now in a joint planning application with the Castlemead Group, Wales and West Housing said: “The total available stock to meet current need is 2052, which leaves a shortfall of 2534.

“This development would make a valuable contribution to this need. It is considered that a proposal for affordable housing is acceptable in principle.”

The proposals include one detached house, 18 semi-detached houses and six flats.

The land also has a section of the historic Wat’s Dyke earthwork running through it, which is believed to date back to either the 8th or 9th century.

As a result, the company has come to an agreement with the Welsh historic environment agency Cadw to mitigate the impact of construction on the monument.

In a statement, they said: “While there is no longer any visible trace of an upstanding bank, the existing evidence suggests that potentially important deposits may survive within the development area, possibly including the basal deposits associated with the bank or more probably the remains of the ditch.

“At a meeting with the developers and Cadw’s regional inspector, it was suggested that the development might reflect the linear nature of the dyke where it runs through the gardens by the use of fencing, profiled to suggest the presence of a bank rather than by reconstructing a bank, as at the Premier Inn, highlighting the presence and importance of Wat’s Dyke.

“This is seen as positive mitigation, the result of which would be enhance the setting of the monument, as well as raising public awareness of the this nationally important monument.”

In addition, the developers are also planning to provide a plaque to tell the public about the existence and importance of the dyke.

The plans will be considered by Wrexham Council at a future date.

By Liam Randall – BBC Local Democracy Reporter and Wrexham.com (more here on the LDR scheme).