Local Development Plan set for third vote by councillors after developer’s Judicial Review is successful

The Local Development Plan looks set for an extraordinary third vote for adoption, after a Judge quashed the previous two votes where a majority of councillors refused to adopt it.

This afternoon councillors were told both decisions taken by Full Council not to adopt the Local Development plan have been quashed by a court in Cardiff.

Further, the council will have to issue meeting papers ahead of a new Full Council meeting by the 14th of December, paving a way for the formal adoption of the Local Development Plan by the middle of January.

Legal costs have also been awarded to the claimants, a group of six developers, amounting to £100,000. Previously similar costs had been predicted, with councillors warned there was no budget nor insurance if that happened.

This evening Wrexham Council confirmed, “In light of the information received today we will be arranging an Extraordinary Council meeting to deal with the matter.”

We asked Wrexham Council if any WCBC Officers, or representatives of, were in Cardiff this morning for the hearing but had no response.

The Judicial Review application sought the following orders: ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌​​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​​

a) An order that the decision of the Council taken at its Extraordinary Meeting on 19 April 2023 be quashed;
b) A declaration that the decision of the Council taken at its Extraordinary Meeting on 19 April 2023 was unlawful;
c) A declaration that the Council’s consequential failure to adopt the local development plan on or before 24 April 2023 was unlawful;
d) Unless the Council undertakes to comply with the terms of the declaration sought, a mandatory order requiring the Defendant to adopt the local development plan forthwith; and
e) An order that the Council do pay the Claimants’ costs ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌​​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​​

Depending on how soon paperwork and calendars are sorted, a vote in the Guildhall could take place just before Christmas, or in the first two weeks of January.

The debate and subsequent vote will likely be another fraught affair, as we have long documented councillors have been entrenched in their pro-LDP or anti-LDP positions.