‘Plans For 12,000 Homes in Wrexham Should be Thrown Out’ Say Plaid Cymru Candidates

Plans to develop over 12,000 new homes – including thousands on green field sites – should be thrown out according to Plaid Cymru.

The party’s leader Leanne Wood joined local council candidates who have been campaigning against the council’s proposed Local Development Plan for the past year after it was announced that some of the new houses would be allowed on two huge new sites off Ruthin Road and Cefn Road.

The latter would see the town’s rugby club disappear under a new housing estate of more than 1000 homes.

In February 2016 Wrexham Council launched a seven week consultation asking local residents for their views on the preferred strategy for Wrexham’s Local Development Plan.

The LDP document details the preferred strategy for the next 12 years and upon adoption it will replace the current adopted Unitary Development Plan (1996 – 2011) and be the basis for decisions on land use planning for the County Borough of Wrexham.

It is thought that over the next 12 years over 12,000 new homes will need to be developed across the county borough, with 1200 set to be on brownfield sites and the remainder on green spaces.Some of the areas outlined for housing developments include around Wrexham town centre, Acrefair / Cefn Mawr, Chirk, Coedopeth, Gresford / Marford, Gwersyllt and Rhosllanerchrugog.

During last year’s consultation process several public meetings about the LDP were held, including a meeting organised by Plaid Cymru about plans to allocate farmland between Ruthin Road and Bersham for the development of 1260 houses.

However Sarah Roberts, who is spearheading opposition to the proposed development as Plaid Cymru’s council candidate for Brynyffynnon ward, said the high level of housing would stretch schools and health services to breaking point.

Ms Roberts, of the Homestead estate, said: “The Local Development Plan (LDP) should reflect local needs but it doesn’t. It is plan that has been forced on Wrexham by the Cardiff Labour Government, which is insisting that Wrexham Council allows 12,000 new houses to be built over the coming decade to meet population predictions that have been proved inaccurate by the most recent Census.

“There is a need for housing in Wrexham to meet local need and Plaid Cymru aims to meet that need by ensuring that empty homes and brownfield sites are put to work. We will also build the first council houses in the borough in a generation.

“But these huge proposed developments go way beyond what’s needed for the area and will mean that local roads, schools and GP practices will be overflowing. That’s the problem with this plan – it only looks at how to enable developers to build homes rather than help communities grow organically and successfully.

“It’s a flawed plan that will create huge soulless commuter estates along the A483 rather than boost our existing towns and villages.”