First ‘public meeting’ to be held virtually tonight over Local Development Plan

Local Plaid Cymru councillors are holding what appears to be a local pandemic first – a virtual ‘public meeting’ on the topic of the controversial Local Development Plan for Wrexham.

Usually public meetings are held in various halls or rooms packed with people with some often entertaining but informative exchanges from the floor and the ‘top table’, obviously with the pandemic things have had to change. The meeting will be held on a Facebook Live stream from 7pm tonight, and organisers say “will allow local residents to discuss and ask questions about the Local Development Plan”.

Councillor Carrie Harper said: “We’re holding this virtual public meeting because we want people to have their say about the LDP and also to help make sense of it. If it goes ahead – and we sincerely hope it doesn’t – then it will mean huge new estates being built on either side of Wrexham along with growing urban sprawl on good agricultural land.

“The pressure to build all these new houses isn’t based on any attempt to meet local demand – the vast majority of the houses being built won’t be affordable for many Wrexham people. We believe a local development plan should put communities first rather than favouring developers.

“The virtual meeting is open to everyone who wants to attend and we’re encouraging people to submit questions in advance. It’s a new departure for us and we’re having to adapt to the realities of the pandemic so we hope to involve as many people as possible. We’ll also be out over the weekend delivering leaflets in the areas most affected by large sprawling housing developments.”

“If we don’t get a grip of planning, we’re going to see Wrexham town and surrounding villages increasingly merge and lose very precious green spaces. This plan as it currently stands is not in the best interests of Wrexham and its people.”

Anyone wishing to submit a question to the Facebook Live meeting, which will be on https://www.facebook.com/CarrieWrecsam from 7PM, or you can email [email protected] or text 07747 792441.