THE END of Wrexham’s long-running Local Development Plan saga has been welcomed by the councillor threatened with jail over it.
Wrexham County Borough Council will formally withdraw the LDP on Friday, March 20 on the orders of the Welsh Government, almost a year after winning a High Court battle to quash the LDP.
This means it will no longer be considered a ‘material planning consideration’ with legal standing in planning applications and appeals.
Councillor Marc Jones, leader of Wrexham Council’s Plaid Cymru group, was at the forefront of the legal challenge against the Welsh Government and housebuilders Barratt Homes, Bloor Homes, Redrow Homes, Harworth Estates Investment, Russell Homes UK, Castle Green Homes and SG Estates.
The case centred around the potential creation of a super-estate of 3,180 homes on Ruthin Road and Cefn Road – developments that were classed as suitable by the LDP.
During cases at the High Court and Court of Appeal he was threatened with jail over his opposition to the LDP – a statutory strategic planning document all Welsh councils were required to produce. With that planning strategy now sitting on the brink of deletion, Cllr Jones expressed his satisfaction.
“This feels like the end of a particularly long saga,” he said. “The Welsh Government has finally announced it is withdrawing the Local Development Plan for Wrexham and that has real significance for communities across the borough.
“Critically I can’t see how the two super estates on Cefn Road and Ruthin Road – adding up to 3,180 homes – can now go ahead. We have a chance to create a development plan that works for Wrexham.
“This could have been so much easier – if the Welsh Government had listened to the council three years ago we would be well on our way to a new plan.
“Thanks to the councillors who stood their ground despite the threat of jail, the people that supported our legal case and the hundreds of people who attended public meetings on the matter.
“It shows that the local voice can win against all the odds – we took the developers and Welsh Government to court and won. It’s a significant day for local democracy and the people against the rich and powerful.”
Wrexham Council’s planning officers will now work through the ramifications of withdrawal. Since it was quashed the LDP has remained a legal document and the evidence contained within it relating to the suitability of land for development has still been considered relevant as it is the most recent information.
Officers must now determine whether that remains the case. The decision has freed up the authority to prepare a new LDP however.
“We are grateful to receive this confirmation from Welsh Government and will now work hard to submit a new delivery plan for agreement by September for the delivery of a new Local Development Plan,” said Wrexham Council Chief Executive Alwyn Jones.
Leader of Wrexham Council, Cllr Mark Pritchard was one of those who stood against the original LDP.
“I’m extremely pleased that a decision has been made, and I’d like to thank the Minister for Economy, Energy and Planning – Rebecca Evans MS – for making this decision,” he said.
“From the start of this journey I always felt that common sense would prevail.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has been on this extremely difficult journey with us to ensure that the democratic process was followed and respected.”
The authority will now set about the process of producing a new LDP. Until that is drafted and adopted, the main legal foundation of planning decisions in Wrexham will be the 1996 Unitary Development Plan.
Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Strategic Planning and Public Protection and another who supported the legal challenge to the LDP, said: “I welcome the decision of Welsh Government to respect the democratic decision of Wrexham Council.
“This will now give us the opportunity to develop a new plan which will more accurately reflect the needs of the people of Wrexham, to develop affordable homes, to protect green belt and to avoid building on land liable to flood.”
