Councillors warns of “gridlock Gwersyllt” as plans for over 450 homes approved

Controversial plans to build more than 450 homes on land near the B&Q Roundabout, despite concerns about pressure on local infrastructure, have been approved.

The outline application, submitted in 2019 by Russell Homes, was narrowly backed by seven councillors to six at a meeting last night.

The land either side of the Stansty Chain Road – as roughly indicated on the above image – was allocated for housing in the recently implemented Local Development Plan (LDP).

It was also the first major housing development to go before planning committee members since being approved in December.

The outline plans for the site include up to 455 dwellings, with 25 per cent being allocated as ​’affordable homes’.

Further details on the type of properties that will be designated “affordable” – along with the overall design of the homes on the site, will be detailed at a later reserved matters application.‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌​‌‌‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌‌​​‍‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌​​‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‌​​

Speaking at the committee meeting Mr Lynch, a representative for applicants Russell Homes, said the plans would deliver contributions to the education department for new school places and highway improvements.

Mr Lynch said: “Since we submitted this application in 2019, the housing waiting list has grown from 1,800 people to over 4,500.

“Rents have increased by over 35 per cent – the highest rise in the whole of the UK.

“This application will help address this.

“Where statutory consultees have asked for funding towards community infrastructure, Russell’s have agreed to provide all contributions including – to the education department for new school places.

“The development will deliver highway improvement works at the Plas Coch Roundabout and Junction 5 of the A483, which originally formed part of the Welsh Government improvement works, the funding of which was cancelled last year.

“However under this development, highway improvements will go ahead to the betterment of the area.

“This means there will be sizeable junction capacity improvements to alleviate congestion.

“This is unique – to deliver much needed homes whilst actually improving the highway network.”

However in a debate that lasted almost two hours, councillors raised multiple concerns about the pressure the development would have on existing infrastructure – including the road network and the health service.

Local councillor Pete Howell warned of a ‘gridlocked Gwersyllt’ if the plans were to go ahead.

Cllr Howell said: “Just looking at some of the comments that I’ve received from local people, I decided to do a word cloud.

“The word that came up the most was chaos. Now if people don’t know chaos is a state of utter confusion or disorder, a total lack of organisation for order.

“This proposed development will bring chaos to the Gwersyllt area and beyond.

“The chaos caused by this proposed development of a new housing estate consisting of a staggering 450 houses on precious green space is unbelievable in my eyes.

“I’m here today to express my deep concerns and objections to this ill-conceived plan without giving any regard to the impact it will have on our already overburdened roads and healthcare services.

“Let’s not beat around the bush, the current state of our roads is an absolute nightmare.

“Traffic congestion, dare I say the pothole word, endless delays – they’ve just become normal, people expect it.

“But adding 455 houses to that equation will undoubtedly exacerbate these issues, creating a gridlock nightmare for our already frustrated commuters.

“Remember these commuters are our residents.”

These concerns were echoed by Grosvenor councillor Marc Jones, who said: “I won’t be able to vote in this meeting because I expressed my views on this application during the time when I wasn’t a member of the planning committee back in 2020, when this application was first made.

“The passage of time hasn’t changed my views, but one major difference in terms of the planning landscape is that the Local Development Plan has now been adopted and – despite my views on that – this application will be considered within its parameters.

“There are signs on the A483 stating that pollution kills and we need to cut our speed to cut our emissions because of the pollution.

“Yet this plan will put a children’s play area right next to this busy road and this planning committee is being asked to approve this strategy of placing young lungs in an area deemed of greatest risk.

“This is despite an Air Quality Act currently making its way through the Senedd and which, I believe, should be given significant weight. That’s not an encouraging start.”

He added: “Critically, this area already has junctions that are over-capacity at peak times.

“The B&Q roundabout, the Plas Coch retail park access roundabout, the main A483 Mold Rd roundabout are all over-stretched in peak hours.

“The increasing number of vehicles accessing Plas Coch in recent years is due to a series of incremental planning permissions – The Range, a hotel, Costa Coffee, M&S Food Hall, expanded Aldi and a still outstanding application for a McDonalds drive thru – that have put added pressure on these junctions.

“The traffic assessment produced by the developer accepts that some of the junctions are over-capacity and will be over-capacity in 2030, when it would be likely that this scheme would be nearing completion. So what is the mitigation put in place?”

Cllr Jones also challenged the proposed road improvements – noting that they are a replica of similar road markings and layout initially scrapped by Wrexham Council several years ago.

Glyn Ceiriog councillor, Trevor Bates, questioned why Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board had failed to submit any objections to the plans despite raising concerns.

He also noted that he’d seen 12 ambulances queued outside the Wrexham Maelor Hospital emergency department over the weekend and questioned the committee on whether they think the health board is “providing value for money”.

However planning officer Matthew Phillips noted that objections to the plans hadn’t been submitted by the health board, the council’s highways officer, nor the Welsh Government Trunk Roads Authority.

In terms of the site itself Mr Phillips explained that it is allocated within the recently adopted Local Development Plan and is within the settlement limit.

Commenting on the potential 455 homes on the site, Mr Phillips said: “The number of units is higher than the allocation indicates but the allocation is not a maximum, that is a figure to demonstrate that the overall housing supply in the plan can be met.

“There are good reasons to support the number proposed particularly given the lack of delivery of housing over the past 11 years.”

In terms of health provision concerns in Wrexham, he added: “I do understand the concerns that have been raised but we do not have an objection from the health board.

“The health board were were pushed by myself to be clear on this, they have raised concerns broadly about health care provision in the area,

“But they were asked two specific questions in respect of this development.

“Would the health board object to the proposal, no, and if the health board be seeking contribution towards a specific scheme to provide capacity to accommodate the development.

“They’ve indicated not at present, so they have not provided any evidence to demonstrate that they do not have physical capacity or that the development would meet contributions towards towards any provision.

“So in the absence of any objective evidence from the health board that the development cannot be accommodated – healthcare provision would not be a sustainable reason for refusal.”

After a two hour debate Cefn West councillor Stella Matthews pointed out that the site is included in the recently approved LDP and questioned why there were so many objections if the site had been found sound by the planning inspectorate.

Ruabon councillor Dana Davies added that new homes are needed to encourage growth in Wrexham and to potentially provide homes for those looking to fill vacant roles within the health board or council.

Wrexham Council’s chief planning and economy officer, David Fitzsimon, noted that some of the opinions made against the plans were “simply the opinion of people not qualified in in the field.”

Mr Fitzsimon said: “We have to make our decisions, whether we like it or not, on the basis of technical evidence.

“We’ve heard this evening lots of opinion – but with the greatest of respect that isn’t professional opinion, that is simply the opinion of people not qualified in the field.

“The technical experts have been very clear in their advice and that advice is from a highway capacity point of view, any impact is within acceptable parameters.

“We’re not saying and our highway colleagues are not saying that there won’t be an impact. What we’re saying is that the impact is within acceptable parameters and I think that’s really important.

“We live in a city – and you may not like what I’m about to say – but some congestion is somewhat inevitable within a city.

“Congestion in itself whilst inconvenient in itself is not a highway safety matter. Some congestion is somewhat inevitable.

“In terms of the health issue, they were consulted on the application and they had an opportunity to make requests for contributions and they haven’t done that.”

A reserved matters application with more exact details on the development of the site is expected at a later date.