Cllrs ignore officers’ advice in 600-home Wrexham saga
The county council has opted to fight against plans for a 70-acre housing scheme off Holt Road when the project heads to appeal later this year, despite being advised by officers not to.
Barratt Homes and Bloor Homes’ plans for 600 homes, first lodged in 2019, could head to appeal in September, the Welsh Planning Inspectorate has indicated.
Despite a recommendation for approval from officers in 2020, the council’s planning committee rejected the outline application for three reasons, including that the site falls outside of the settlement limit set out in the unitary development plan, which is 14 years out of date.
The council later rescinded all three reasons for refusal in 2023 when it adopted its local development plan – an updated spatial strategy – but the decision stood.
However, the adoption of the LDP was quashed last year after a group of Wrexham councillors who opposed the plan took the matter to the Supreme Court.
As a result, the council’s position on the Holt Road scheme needed to be revisited ahead of the appeal in September.
Officers advised councillors to stick with the 2023 decision to rescind the reasons for refusal and not defend the rejection at appeal.
However, councillors had other ideas, opting to ignore the officers’ advice and pledging to fight the case.
Speaking at a meeting on Monday, Cllr Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham County Council, said the council should fight the case regardless of the costs a defeat would incur.
“Democracy will always come at a cost,” he said.
The decision to mount a defence at appeal will likely cause a headache for the council’s executive team, which has previously supported the application.
The committee chair said six planning consultants had been approached about the potential of taking on the case on behalf of the council but that five had refused. The other had not responded.
Planning officer Matthew Phillips said being asked to defend the refusal at appeal would put officers “in an extremely difficult position”.
“I would not ask another officer in my team to do something I am not prepared to do,” he said. “It is very hard to set out a credible case when you don’t agree with it.”
Cllr Marc Jones said he had sympathy for the officers but suggested that an inspector would be more likely to use the evidence base of the outdated UDP than the quashed LDP.
Subsequently, he argued that the original reasons for refusal should be reinstated and that choosing not to defend the decision to reject the scheme at appeal would show “contempt for the people of Wrexham”.
Jones added that, if no officer or third party would stand up and defend the decision at appeal, he would do so.
Of course he should defend it himself. That seems the obvious way out for the Council – and he should be personally responsible for the Costs Award when it’s made.
By Edge
Beyond time that this utter nonsense of fIagrantIy ignoring Officer recommendations – without a vaIid reason rooted in pIanning Iaw – was iIIegaI. Another waste of time and tax payer’s money as this ridicuIous decision is certain to be overturned at appeaI.
By David SIeath
He’ll find a consultant prepared to take his council’s money. Shame really. It would be nice to see him realise that he’s not involved in a democratic process, but a quasi-legal one in which democracy plays only a part. He could recoup some of the cost to the people of Wrexham by selling tickets to see him eviscerated on the stand.
By Green Belt Ben
It is becoming increasingly the case for elected members to be put on the stand at appeal where members have refuse applications against officer recommendation – and there is clearly no real prospect of success.
Having seen a planning committee meeting recently on-line where a councillor was questioning the role of the planning committee if they were actually expected to “approve policy compliant applications”. No wonder government wants to change the system, although I suspect it will have been left in no doubt in responses to the recent consultation that councils really want things to stay as they are. After all, the proposed changes are an affront to local democracy…apparently.
By Informed planner
Good for them – look at Hereford, Shrewsbury, and now Chester – these volume builders will keep building their cheap sprawls if they’re not challenged, regardless of the negative impact of their activity. Good luck to them !
By John Smith
@John Smith – just how does Chester sprawl? it’s encased in green belt and where it isn’t the land is often owned by aristocrats. If you are talking about the Redrow estate that’s going up off Wrexham Road, they’ve managed to incorporate cycle paths, sports pitches and retail into a well landscaped site. Worth reflecting that Chester’s greenbelt constraints may actually be what is driving pressure in Wrexham’s housing market, leave aside it’s a city that chosen to have a huge employment site in a business park on it’s south fringe, where it’s actually difficult to live anywhere close to because of greenbelt.
By Anonymous