Plans to replace Wrexham night shelter with 19 apartments receive unanimous backing

Plans to demolish a night shelter in Wrexham to make way for 19 apartments for homeless people have been unanimously approved.

Clwyd Alyn Housing Association applied earlier this year to create self-contained accommodation and a homeless support centre to replace the existing Tŷ Nos night shelter on Holt Road.

It followed £2.2m being made available by the Welsh Government to fund the project.

The proposals show the development on the edge of the town centre will include five buildings, each measuring two storeys in height.

The scheme was recommended to receive the green light by officials at Wrexham Council ahead of a planning committee meeting held yesterday (Monday, 7 June).

Local councillor Becca Martin told community leaders it would deliver a number of benefits for the area.

She said: “I feel it’s very important that the changes are made to Tŷ Nos as it’s going to provide the homeless community with much-needed modern and high quality residential units, which in turn is going to support rehabilitation and integration into the wider community.

“This isn’t just going to benefit the client group, but it will then benefit Wrexham as a whole.

“At the moment, the site can’t really be described as aesthetically pleasing, so I think the new buildings will visually enhance the site as well.”

The amount of people presenting as homeless in Wrexham has increased significantly since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March last year.

The proposals at Tŷ Nos form part of a set of measures introduced to address the issue, as well as turning the former Grove Guest House on Chester Road into temporary homeless accommodation.

Cllr Frank Hemmings questioned whether the construction of the new apartments would cause a disturbance to a neighbouring Quaker meeting house, but was told noise levels would be controlled via a planning condition.

The plans were backed by every committee member present at the end of their deliberations.

By Liam Randall – BBC Local Democracy Reporter