Council fears small housing plan could open door to 200-home development

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter 

Council fear that a modest plan to build 18 homes could be used to justify a larger 200-home development on adjacent farmland.

Flintshire County Council’s Planning Committee will consider an application by Edwards Homes for 18 three-bedroom homes – three of which will be affordable – on vacant farmland next to Bod Hyfryd Nursing Home on Northop Road.

The application is a re-submission of a plan lodged for the site in 2021. That plan was dismissed as ‘premature’ by the Planning Inspectorate for Wales as, at the time, the Flintshire Local Development Plan had still not been adopted.

Now town councillors have formally expressed concerns to the planning committee that the renewed proposal could open up access to the agricultural fields behind Bod Hyfryd – allowing a much larger development.

There is currently an undetermined application – originally submitted in 2022 – to build 200 homes on those fields from Watkins Jones.

Edwards Homes does not own the larger site and is not involved in the 200-home plan.

Town councillors fear approving this project would make it easier to grant approval for the larger site.

“This proposal represents another attempt to gain access to the larger section of the land,” they stated in their submission.

“This could lead to the loss of more of the town’s valuable green space.

“The proposed development may also create issues relating to highways, GP services, schools and general access to amenities.

“We acknowledge the need for additional housing but the town’s existing brownfield sites should be prioritised for development.”

Those concerns, particularly around availability of GPs and highways, were echoed in the public responses to the application.

In the application Edwards Homes confirmed that its proposed northern access road would also link to the potential larger site.

“A single new 4.5 metre wide road from Northop Road near the site’s northern boundary would extend to the site’s western boundary to link with the adjoining proposed housing development,” it said.

“It was recognised that it would be unreasonable to withhold planning permission for the Edwards Homes (EHL) scheme on the basis that access is provided from the larger development.

“It was therefore suggested that the proposed access arrangements for the EHL development should be revised by relocating the additional access road off Northop Road to the north.

“Once access can be achieved from the adjoining housing development this would then be closed off to all but pedestrians and cyclists.”

Flintshire’s Planning Committee will consider the application on Wednesday, January 21.