Update on Wrexham Local Development Plan (2013-2028).
Following the Judicial Review on November 29th 2023, Wrexham County Borough Council adopted the Wrexham Local Development Plan (LDP). The adopted LDP will form the development plan for Wrexham County Borough and will be the basis for decisions on land use planning in this area. They must also pay £100.000 in legal costs to the claimants.
Levels – River Dee and Bala Lake Special Phosphorous Area of Conservation.
The Council has partially resolved the phosphate issue in that the Five Fords Waste Water Treatment Works which is the primary plant serving Wrexham dealing with foul water has now received an environmental permit which meets NRW’s revised phosphorous targets for development proposals involving sewer connections to it thereby not having a significant detrimental impact upon the conservation objectives in terms of water quality within the catchment of the River Dee and Bala Lake Special Area of Conservation.
DNS Applications:
DNS/3237973 – Bersham Energy Plant- Bersham Bank Colliery Tip, Rhostyllen, Wrexham.
Still awaiting further details.
DNS/3253253 – Plas Power Estate Solar Farm, Ruthin Road, Wrexham.
Still awaiting further details.
Planning Applications:
P/2023/0427 – Outline application for the erection of a dwelling (all matters reserved) – The Hollies, New Brighton, Minera, Wrexham.
Within settlement limit in both the UDP and LDP. Also renewal of P/2016/2056 There was no objection in principle to the application by the Branch.
P/2023/0746– Erection of a dwelling – Land West of Pendil, Llangollen Road, Acrefair, Wrexham.
No documents stated as being available on the Council’s website. However, within both the settlement boundary of Acrefair in the UDP and LDP together with it being in the built up area of Acrefair. Therefore the Branch decided to make no objection in principle.
P/2023/0737– Outline application for 2 semi-detached dwellings – Gas supplies, Smithy View Service Station, Chester Road, Wrexham,Ll12 8DY.
Within the settlement limit of Wrexham in the UDP and LDP. No objections in principle were made to the application.
P/2023/0738 – Demolition of existing buildings and erection of 10 dwellings – Gamford House, Gamford Lane, Rossett.
The proposals are for the removal of the existing workshop, agricultural barn and pen buildings and the erection of 10 carbon zero dwellings and landscaping.
The site is located on the northern side of Gamford Lane, approx. 0.2 miles east of the village of Rossett.
It is located outside of the settlement boundary of Rossett but within open countryside and Green Barrier within the Adopted UDP. It remains outside the settlement limit and within open countryside but has been taken out of the Green Barrier in the LDP.
Although technically contrary to policy in principle in both the UDP and LDP, the buildings are vacant and in a dilapidated state, can be classed as previously developed land (been granted an LDC for uses including B2 light industry, B8 warehousing and distribution, agricultural and Sui Generis of Haulage business and HGV maintenance depot), the dwellings will be of a high quality sustainable design, considered to be in a sustainable location ( within walking distance of the large village of Rossett), the dwellings reflecting the local character and allowing important vistas to be established to the open countryside and permeability thereby it is considered the proposals will have less of a detrimental visual l impact than the existing lawful uses and be better integrated into this countryside location.
Therefore given the above it is considered the Branch cannot object to these proposals.
P/2023/0593 – Outline application for the erection of 1520 dwellings, plus associated roads, open space, a local centre, primary school and a wastewater treatment plant ( all matters except for at Lower Berse Farm, Wrexham.
This site is located to the South of Ruthin Road, the A483 providing a boundary to the West, whilst to the South the site abuts Bersham Road. On its Eastern boundary the site abuts the existing development along Homestead Lane which currently forms the Western edge of Wrexham.
Although the site is located outside of the settlement limit for Wrexham, within open countryside, Special Landscape Area and Green Barrier in the UDP it is allocated as Key Strategic Site 1 for a residential led mixed use scheme comprising a minimum of 1500 dwellings, 400 of which will be provided before 2028 and for also the provision of highway improvements, a primary school, public open space, community facilities, active travel and public transport in the LDP.Although not formally adopted by the Council, given the advanced nature of the LDP substantial weight can be given to it. Therefore the principle of the proposals in planning policy terms are considered acceptable and the Branch decided not to make any formal comments to the application.
Pre-App Consultation
Legacy Energy Storage System ‘ESS’ Project:
Proposals involve a 400MW ESS, comprising of .a main substation consisting of a gas insulated switchgear hall, transformers and filters on a footprint of 2 acres, transformers which raise and lower the voltage for export and import between the site and national grid, medium voltage skid to convert the Direct Current to Alternating Current (AC) via an inverter and liquid cooled batteries, the size of shipping containers.
The site covers approx. 5.5 ha located in fields to the east of the Legacy National Grid substation, west of the A483 and north of Bronwylfa Road, Rhostyllen.
This is their pre-application consultation following the community engagement held on 11th May with any comments on the scheme required by 2nd January 2024.
The development area has been reduced by 64% with also additional screening along the western and southern boundaries by way of woodland tree planting and bunding and a permissive footpath to enhance the pedestrian connectivity between Bersham and Bersham Cricket Club.
It is a greenfield site and located within open countryside as defined in both the UDP and LDP. As this is only a pre-application consultation very little detail has been submitted.
It would be a full application that would have to be submitted to the Council rather than a DNS application submitted to PEDW.The Branch decided to make comments once the full application and where the full details of the proposals e.g. Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment, Noise Assessment etc. will be submitted.
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