Senedd motion calls on Welsh Government to ‘acknowledge the democratic vote not adopt the Local Development Plan 2’

The Senedd could vote on a new motion that looks to ‘acknowledge the democratic vote by Wrexham County Borough Council not to adopt the Wrexham Local Development Plan 2’ as well as back a request for Welsh Government to also ‘work with Wrexham County Borough Council by directing that the current local development plan be withdrawn and amended’.

The motion has been tabled by North Wales MS Llyr Gruffydd and co-submitted by North Wales MS Sam Rowlands, both of whom have raised the LDP issue in the Senedd previously.

Motions are a mechanism for obtaining a decision (or resolution) from the Senedd, and, except where a set of rules called ‘Standing Orders’ state otherwise, are subject to amendment.

Any Member may table a motion or an amendment. Other than Government debates, the subject of debates are not included in the Business Statement and Announcement, but are published a week beforehand when the relevant motion is tabled.

Wrexham Council is facing an imminent judicial review from developers after rejecting its LDP twice in Guildhall votes, votes that opposition councillors challenged.​ ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌​​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​​ It has been publicly stated a group of six developers  has brought the active judicial review, that will be heard as soon as next week.  As the motion before the Senedd has yet to be given a date, it is possible that judgement could be made in a hearing before any Senedd vote takes place.

Since publication of the motion eleven other MSs have indicated support for the motion – as recorded on this link.

This week has seen details of an attempt at a separate Judicial Review brought ‘unlawfully’ by three senior local councillors emerge, something they defended as seeking ‘to uphold the democratic decision, not to adopt Wrexham’s flawed LDP’ while rejecting claims they acted against the law.

The full motion is below…

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes that:

a) it is 10 years since the Welsh Government’s planning inspectorate rejected Wrexham’s local development plan;

b) the plan was rejected principally on the grounds of housing allocation numbers;

c) the council’s second local development plan was based on population projections of a 20 per cent increase for the borough, later downgraded to 10 per cent;

d) the county’s population is static and predicted to fall;

e) the plan was due to run from 2013-28 and so has just five years to run before it expires;

f) national policy indicates that when a plan is adopted, there should be at least 10 years of the plan remaining;

g) every local development plan should be in harmony with the Welsh Government’s ‘Future Wales: the national plan 2040’; and

h) the proposed Wrexham local development plan is in contravention of ‘Future Wales: the national plan 2040’.

2. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) acknowledge the democratic vote by Wrexham County Borough Council not to adopt the Wrexham Local Development Plan 2;

b) work with Wrexham County Borough Council by directing that the current local development plan be withdrawn and amended to ensure that the draft local plan is in harmony with ‘Future Wales: the national plan 2040’ and that it gains the full support of Wrexham elected members.