Caego housing plans refused for second time

Housing plans in Caego have been refused for the second time amid concerns that the development falls outside of the settlement limit.

The plans for 25 homes on land south of Berse Road in Caego had been debated by members of Wrexham Council’s planning committee yesterday afternoon.

It was the second time plans for the site had been debated by councillors, with committee members refusing plans refused in 2016 due to the green barrier and falling outside the settlement limit

Speaking at yesterday’s meeting, Planning Officer David Williams explained that since the application was refused 18 months ago, changes have been made in relation to the LDP (Local Development Plan) and the site no longer being classed as green barrier.

Caego does feature in the Deposit Local Development Plan as having land potentially allocated for housing, with Wrexham.com reporting in March that a public consultation on the council’s proposals is due to start in the next few weeks.

It was also explained that Wrexham Council’s “absence of a five year housing plan is a significant material consideration”.

Cllr Alan Edwards, who represents the New Broughton ward, said his comments from 18 months ago remain the same and that he has “grave concerns” about the impact the development will have on highways and where the entrance to the proposed development will be.

Commenting on the B5101 / Berse Road, Cllr Edwards described it as a “dangerous road” and a “nightmare waiting to happen”.

However a representative from the council’s highways department stated that visibility from the development site is in accordance to Welsh Government guidelines and that there was no “justifiable reason to refuse on highway grounds”.

Cllr Graham Rogers suggested that the application is deferred until the outcome of the LDP consultation is known. However it was stated that this could result in the application being held back for 12 months while the LDP process is fully completed.

Cllr Rob Walsh, who was on the planning committee during the site visit last year, said: “For me nothing has changed. It has been suggested as part of the LDP, but we need this to go through the consultation.

“As a result I won’t be supporting and I am happy to move refusal on the same grounds as before.”

The recommendation for refusal was seconded by Cllr Paul Pemberton.

Referencing the Deposit LDP, Mr Williams stated that there is a “clear statement of intent this is suitable for residential development”, adding: “The applicants have put forward a scheme, which in terms of layout and form are acceptable.

“There is a genuine intent on the developers to develop the site. You also need to bear in mind that we can’t afford as a committee to take the stance that everything we deal with, we have to wait for the consultation to expire.

“We have granted planning in other situations as we have a loss of a five year housing supply.”

14 councillors voted in favour of refusing the application, with two voting against and a further two abstaining from the vote.