Planning Inspector Mr Hywel Jones recommended that the provision of 12,000 homes be included in the plan, instead of the Council’s proposed 8,000 new homes. Jones also raised concerns on affordable housing and gypsy/traveller sites in the LDP.
At an exploratory meeting between the Council and the Inspector the Council accepted that the Inspector could recommend withdrawal of the LDP to the Welsh Ministers.
The Council agreed that the amount of work that needed to be done to the plan could not be achieved within the six month period normally allowed for the suspension of LDP Hearing sessions.
The Council will now need to obtain further evidence to address the fundamental concerns of the Inspector, and hopes that this evidence will support changes that are consistent with the overall strategy of the Plan. This would entail a delay of approximately 12 months before resubmission, the Council said.
It also noted that, if the evidence requires the strategy to be reconsidered, it could result in a delay of up to three years. The Plan would need to return to the pre-deposit stage to allow for revised assessments, full public consultation and Member involvement, which would result in further delay, the Council said.
“The council is disappointed that the Wrexham Local Development Plan, which has undergone extensive public consultation and member consideration over several years and which has wide-spread community support, has come to a halt,” said Lawrence Isted, Wrexham Council’s head of community wellbeing and development.
The Council would now need to obtain further evidence to address the fundamental concerns of the Inspector, including housing numbers, the provision of affordable housing and the provision of gypsy/traveller sites, the Council said.
"The Council is committed to preparing a sound LDP and will do all it can to submit it for Examination as soon as possible," Isted said.
