Residents slam proposals for 150 new houses

Proposals for 150 new homes in a small village have been slammed by a residents’ group.

The Llanrhos Local Residents’ Group has written to councillors in opposition to the plans for land off Pentywyn Road and Bryn Lupus Road.

Conwy Council is currently consulting the public over its new replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP), which governs what can be built and where from late 2024/early 2025.

Housing crisis

Five sites have been earmarked for significant development, including Llanrhos amid what has been described as a ‘housing crisis’ in Conwy.

Residents in Llanrhos claim they have already made it clear the homes are unwanted, after proposals for a new school and homes met significant objection four years ago.

Local resident Keith Harries has lived in the village for over 30 years and represented the residents’ group said: “The land is farmland at the moment. It protects the village of Llanrhos from the boundary with Deganwy and Llandudno. If they go for 150 homes, they’re going to increase the size of the village by 65%.” 

He added: “Residents don’t want it. Once you start lifting green wedge land, it is possibly going to open the floodgates to development. It is a small village. This is going to alter the demography, and this is going to extend the boundaries between Deganwy and Llanrhos. It will very much destroy the character of the area.”

Resident input

According to Keith, council planning officers stated a need to move Deganwy school to a new site in Llanrhos, and the housing development would help to offset some of the costs. Some 1,130 objections have been lodged by local residents.

A spokeswoman for Conwy County Council said: “The site is a potential allocation in the Replacement LDP. The LDP process takes several years to complete and will not be in place until late 2024/early 2025.”

She continued: “This is an opportunity for residents to have early input into potential sites so that their views can be incorporated before site details are drawn up. In response to feedback that the community wanted to get involved as soon as they could, these engagement events are in addition to the standard LDP stages and consultation.”