Caego housing plans approved despite committee confusion over “affordable housing”

Plans to build nearly 50 new homes in a Wrexham village have been approved by a single vote despite concerns it will cause large traffic jams.

Councillors met on Monday (2 September) to discuss proposals to create a mixture of apartments and houses on land off Berse Road in Caego.

The application was put forward by North Wales’ largest housing association, Adra, which said all of the properties would be offered for either social or intermediate rent.

A total of 44 objections were raised by residents due to fears the development in the village next to New Broughton would cause a “dangerous hazard” for drivers.

Opponents said a large number of houses had already been built in the area, with more than 100 homes currently being constructed on Gatewen Road.

However, the scheme was approved after Wrexham Council’s planning committee chair Mike Morris used his casting vote.

It came despite one councillor claiming it would lead to queuing traffic and an increase in collisions on local roads.

Cllr Nigel Williams, who represents the neighbouring Gwenfro ward, also told the meeting that two previous sets of proposals for the same site had been refused.

He said: “We currently see traffic jams leading from the Sainsbury’s roundabout and past B&Q, all the way up the hill into New Broughton and Caego.

“Traffic from the new development will add to this and compound it, which makes things even worse.

“The road travelling from Wrexham to Caego goes over a bridge which is on a sharp bend, the site of which has had numerous traffic collisions over the years.

“Speaking to one resident in the last few days, he told me of two instances in the last couple of years where vehicles have ended up in his garden.

“The most recent one actually ended up on its roof, and he and his wife had to pull the people out to safety. ”
Committee members were recommended to approve the scheme ahead of the planning meeting.

It came despite New Broughton councillor Claire Lovett highlighting a lack of facilities to serve residents living in the new homes.

She said: “The previous demolition of the community centre makes the ward of New Broughton, where the development sits, the only ward in the county borough to have no public access amenities.

“It has no church hall, no function space, no sports or community hall, no pavilion, no public house and not even a phone box any more.”

According to planning documents, the development will result in the creation of 12 one-bedroom apartments, along with a mixture of 35 two, three and four-bedroom houses.

The site is earmarked for a total of 25 houses in the council’s Local Development Plan (LDP).

However, Wrexham’s chief planning officer, David Fitzsimon, said this was not a maximum amount and recommended the proposals should be approved.

Grosvenor ward councillor Marc Jones gave his backing to the plans due to the amount of affordable homes included, despite expressing some concerns.

He said: “I have huge sympathies with any community which is having to put up with multiple developments and seeing no improvement in local infrastructure.

“However, I think the critical issue here is affordability. This is 100 per cent affordable housing and it’s in perpetuity.

“When you have 4,000 people on the council house waiting list, that is a very persuasive argument.”

Llay councillor Bryan Apsley later put forward a motion for the committee to reject the proposals due to the impact on roads and local infrastructure.

He also cited a lack of affordable housing which caused confusion among other members.

His motion was defeated and the plans were approved by a margin of nine votes to eight after Cllr Morris used his casting vote.

By Liam Randall – BBC Local Democracy Reporter