Pre-hearing meeting on Wrexham’s Local Development Plan to take place on Tuesday

A pre-hearing meeting into the council’s Local Development Plan (LDP) will take place tomorrow.

The meeting, which will be held at the Guildhall at 10:30am on Tuesday 25th June, will see inspectors outline the key questions to be answered and the procedures to be followed during the Examination in Public – particularly in relation to the hearing sessions which will begin on Tuesday, September 3.

The Welsh Government has appointed Lead Inspector Siân Worden BA, MCD, DipLH, MRTPI and Assistant Inspector Melissa Hall BA (Hons), BTP, MSc, MRTPI of the Planning Inspectorate to conduct the examination.

Known as the Examination in Public (EIP) the hearings will cover a range of issues identified by the Inspectors and focus on the overall soundness of the Plan.

The LDP, which puts forward a number of sites for potential future developments, came under fire from some councillors and communities last year amid concerns over the soundness of the document.

A total of 3588 comments were received during a public consultation on the plan last year, with the proposed gypsy and traveller site allocations in Llay, Brymbo and Hanmer receiving 1,443 responses (1266 objections).

Of the of the 3588 representations received, 2448 were objections to the Plan and 307 were in support.

In November 2018 a majority of councillors voted in favour sending the plan to public consultation last year – with a recorded vote taking place after requests from some members. The results of the vote can be found below.

During the public examination, the inspector will assess the soundness of the Plan as a whole rather than simply considering individual objections, and will base her judgement on the evidence available, the representations made and the particular circumstance of the Plan and the area.

The agenda for the PHM can be viewed in full here.