Appeal against rejection of Rossett housing plans turned down

An appeal against the rejection of plans for five new homes in a village on the outskirts of Wrexham has been turned down.

It comes after a planning inspector concluded that proposals to build houses at Lower Honkley Farm in Rossett would be inappropriate due to the site being on green barrier land.

The application was originally rejected by Wrexham Council in June because of concerns about the impact on the grade II listed farmhouse.

Nigel Darlington, who is behind the scheme, then launched an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate as he said the increase in housing would outweigh any harm.

However, Siân Worden, who was appointed by the Welsh Government, backed the authority’s decision as she said the development was not in keeping with the countryside location.

She said: “Overall the proposed development would result in a noticeable reduction in openness.

“Furthermore, the loss of openness would not assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment, one of the purposes of including land in the green barrier.

“Planning Policy Wales states that the construction of new buildings is inappropriate development in the green barrier.

“There are some exceptions, including new buildings for: rural enterprise needs; essential facilities for outdoor sport and outdoor recreation; the limited extension, alteration or replacement of existing dwellings; or small scale farm diversification.

“The proposed development would not be one of these and would, therefore, be inappropriate in the green barrier.”

The site used to be home to the Lower Honkley Engineering and Marine works, which was established in the 1950s until the business went bankrupt in the late 1990s.

The industrial buildings associated with the business were demolished after permission was approved for a smaller scale development in 2005.

Ms Worden said the farmhouse was listed as a surviving example of a sub-medieval home.

She added that the scale of the proposed buildings would be disproportionate to the existing property.

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