Appeal launched by developer to overturn local decision to reject 80 new houses in Summerhill

An appeal has been launched after plans to build more than 80 new homes in Summerhill were rejected by councillors.

Macbryde Homes, the company behind the proposals, lodged the application to develop land on Top Road back in August 2017.

The plans for 82 homes were had been recommended for approval by the council’s chief planning officer, who said the development “would in fact lead to safety improvements” in the area.

However earlier this year a majority of planning committee members voted to refuse the scheme after a highways official told them he believed that the footpath outlined was too narrow and would put children at risk.

The application was rejected by eleven votes to three with two abstentions, with concerns also raised about increased traffic issues and the loss of green barrier land.

Speaking at the time local councillor Gwenfair Jones told the committee the plans went against no less than nine different policies and that there were “no exceptional circumstances” to justify the development

A bid to overturn the committee’s decision has now been launched on behalf of developer Macbryde Homes.

Within the appeal documents it is argued that the plans are “considered to represent sustainable development, delivering a net enhancement to the built and environmental quality of the appeal site, as well as benefits to its natural and built surroundings.”

The document continues onto say: “The appeal scheme will generate significant social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing benefits as outlined above, consistent with national planning policy, and which in their totality are considered to represent very exceptional circumstances to justify a departure from the time expired development plan with regards to development in the green barrier.

“The very exceptional circumstances demonstrated within this Statement, namely the positive contribution of the appeal scheme towards addressing the significant housing shortfall in Wrexham, the delivery of much needed affordable housing in the Western Border Sub-Area, the sustainable location of the appeal site, the associated highway/road safety improvements and enhanced pedestrian connectivity which the appeal scheme will deliver, the provision of a parkland setting and equipped area of play within 1.99 hectares of public open space, together with the limited harm arising from the appeal site’s development against the five purposes of the green barrier, are in their totality considered to strongly outweigh the conflict with Policies PS1, EC1, EC2 and H5 of the time-expired Unitary Development Plan, and the less than full weight that these policies now attract.”

“Furthermore, the Appeal Scheme is not considered to conflict with Policy GDP (1) of the time expired Unitary Development Plan, nor Paragraphs 3.4 and 6.2 of TAN18.

“The Appeal Scheme is also consistent with the council’s emerging LDP Preferred Strategy and its evidence base.

“Taking into account the above considerations (and as justified in the earlier sections of this statement), the appellant respectfully requests that this Appeal be approved and that detailed planning permission be granted.”

The appeal also gives background to the developer themselves, saying they are “family-run” and have been operating for over 30 years. A timescale for possible development is also included if the appeal is successful, however it is unclear if this has been adjusted due the pandemic, “Should planning permission be granted for the Appeal Scheme, Macbryde Homes would seek to commence work on the Appeal Site immediately, with development completed during 2023.”

Such deliverability is seen as key by the developer in their appeal, as they point to data from 2013-2019 where they claim there is a 1,541 undersupply of houses being build in Wrexham and therefore ‘urgent’ action is required to address the apparent shortfall.

The appeal will be considered by the planning inspectorate at a later date.