Approval granted for new EV chargers near Chirk McDonald’s

Plans to install new electric vehicle (EV) chargers near a fast food takeaway in Chirk have been approved.

Members of Wrexham Council’s planning committee last night (Monday 5) backed proposals to create a new car park and EV charging points on land adjacent to Chirk McDonald’s.

This is despite David Fitzsimon, the local authority’s chief officer for economy and planning, recommending that the application is rejected due to the proposed development falling outside of the defined settlement limits.

Mr Fitzsimon warned that approving the plans runs the risk of undermining the “open countryside policy when dealing with other applications for development within open countryside.”

He said: “Whether you agree with it or not, within the LDP (Local Development Plan) this land is designated as open countryside and there are restrictive policies which apply to this site.”

However planning committee members argued that the location was suitable for the development and would help to meet the growing demand for EV chargers in the area.

Cllr Frank Hemmings, who represents Chirk North, said that it was important that EV infrastructure isn’t just based within Wrexham city centre.

He added that existing charging points in Chirk haven’t worked the last two years due to a lack of infrastructure to power them.

He said: “We’re sort of sleepwalking now into an era where fossil fuel cars will be off the road and every single car will need to be powered by electricity.

“It is an extremely busy road and that’s pretty obvious when when we see the A483 bridge closed and the amount of traffic that that builds up.

“If you read Planning Policy Wales it states that we should ensure our transportation infrastructure is adaptable to future advances in innovation.

“If we don’t do this sort of thing on a convenient point, then we’re not doing that. We’re not sticking to future advances.”

Cllr Terry Evans, who represents Chirk South, also spoke in support of the application.

“Wrexham Council declared a climate emergency in 2019,” said Cllr Evans.

“This ticks all the boxes of the Welsh Government climate emergency – we need charging stations all over Wales.

“The A483 has 50,000 plus vehicle movements every day.

“From Chester to Shrewsbury there are no major charging stations for electric vehicles, just the odd one or two dotted about

“This site is perfectly placed to service this facility. We must improve this infrastructure, especially in Wrexham and Wales.”

Chairman of the committee, Cllr Mike Morris, urged members to be aware that approving the plans could set a precedent for future applications outside of the settlement limit and that planning conditions would need to be attached.

The application was approved with 10 councillors voting in favour of the development, three against and one abstention.