LDP reaction: “Wrexham will inevitably now feel the impact of 8,000 houses being built”

Wrexham’s MP Sarah Atherton has said Welsh Labour are ‘forcing through unnecessary developments’ via the Local Development Plan adoption.

The Local Development Plan or LDP is a document which sets out how land will be used in a particular local authority area in the future. Used to guide planning decisions and development for employment, retail and other land uses, Wrexham will also soon see several large housing planning applications come forward.

The LDP was adopted after extraordinary scenes in the Guildhall on Wednesday afternoon which saw 26 councillors out of 56 possible votes support the plan.

The vote was held after the Legal Officer had warned councillors if the there was a ‘yes’ vote to adopt the LDP there would be no likely future court proceedings, however a ‘no’ outcome would mean ‘the case will undoubtably return to court’ with potential for the Judge to ‘hold to account individuals who vote no’.

The meeting was notable as some councillors did not turn up in protest, others walked out of the meeting and joined the public gallery, and zero councillors voted against the plan. Those remaining in the chamber abstained instead, something the Council Leader Mark Pritchard attributed to “fear” “intimidation” “threats” and “pressure”.

Since the decision reaction has started to come in, with Wrexham’s MP Sarah Atherton acknowledging the outcome with a warning of the scale of future housing developments.

Sarah Atherton MP said, “Whilst we must adhere to the court’s ruling on Wrexham’s Local Development Plan (LDP), communities across Wrexham will inevitably now feel the impact of 8,000 houses being built on land at Lower Berse Farm, in Rhosrobin and in Rossett.

“Wrexham’s LDP is based on Welsh Labour Government housing figures which have wrongly forecasted significant population growth in Wrexham. Even though this proposed population rise has been proven incorrect, the Welsh Labour Government is refusing to revisit housing numbers and are forcing through unnecessary developments via Wrexham’s LDP.

“Whilst I am not opposed to more housing, future property developments require improvements to existing infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, GP surgeries and emergency services prior.

“In contrast, the Welsh Labour Government is underfunding our statutory services, stopping all new road building and imposing a default 20mph speed limit which is causing further chaos and congestion on our roads.

“Wrexham’s LDP, a plan imposed on us by the Welsh Labour Government and Labour Councillors and Senedd Members, will only serve to exacerbate the existing challenges that my constituents face on a daily basis with public services and infrastructure, which the Welsh Labour Government simply refuse to acknowledge.”

Wednesday’s meeting report is here, and a video from the Guildhall is below to spool through:

More reaction in the coming days…