Planning committee urged to refuse 300-home application

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

Councillors have been urged to ‘stand with the people who elected them’ this week and reject plans to build 300 homes on agricultural land in a village.

Flintshire People’s Voice councillor Sam Swash – who represents the Hawarden Mancot ward – has supported residents’ campaigning against plans to develop on agricultural land at Ash Lane off Gladstone Way, Hawarden for six years.

With Flintshire County Council planning officers recommending approval of the scheme this week, Cllr Swash has asked councillors to back Hawarden residents who have opposed the plans since they were first proposed.

Unpopular

“This is the most unpopular housing development in Flintshire’s history,” said Cllr Swash.

“It has led to the largest petition ever submitted to Flintshire County Council, hundreds of placards being erected across the local community and the most objections to a single planning application in the county’s recent history.”

Opposition to developing the land began in 2019 when the agricultural fields between Gladstone Way, Ash Lane and Park Avenue on the Hawarden/Mancot border were first included in Flintshire’s Local Development Plan.

Opponents quickly formed  an action group – Stop the Gladstone Estate Development – and a Facebook page to oppose the plans.

The land – now owned by Castle Green Homes – continued to be earmarked for development in the county’s 2015 Local Development Plan. In March last year the application was submitted to Flintshire County Council’s planning department to build 300 homes, including 104 affordable homes, on the site.

Of 697 neighbours notified of the plans during consultation, 684 objected to the plans. There were also objections from Hawarden Community Council and Queensferry Community Council with regard to the impact on flood risk on the proposed site and the surrounding areas and the pressure the development would place on local services, while Clwyd Badger Group were concerned about the impact on badgers active near the site.

Approval

Nevertheless officers have recommended approval of the scheme, subject to a Section 106 order which would see Hawarden Village School receive just over £625,000 to make improvements to serve the new estate while Hawarden High School would receive almost £950,000.

Cllr Swash believes the weight of local opposition means councillors on Flintshire’s Planning Committee should refuse the application when it is considered on Wednesday at Flintshire Council’s Ty Dewi Sant headquarters.

“For those councillors with a vote on Wednesday, there is no more hiding behind the Local Development Plan,” he said. “They must now judge this site on its own merits, or lack of them.

“The choice facing them is a simple one – they can vote to stand with the people they’re elected to represent, or they can vote to approve a demonstrably reckless plan for the benefit of private housing developers.

“The Hawarden community has been completely united in its opposition to these plans for years, and with good reason. This is the council’s final opportunity to restore our community’s trust in local democracy, by listening to the overwhelming views of the people this development will impact on a daily basis.”