A community’s fight against proposals for almost 200 homes has not yet finished. Housing developer Redrow Homes has lodged an appeal against Flintshire Council’s planning committee’s refusal of plans for 186 homes on Chester Road in Penymynydd. The proposals have been subject to a major backlash from members of the community in the area. According to documents submitted alongside the appeal, the developer said: “There is a significant housing land shortfall in Flintshire, the resolution of which necessitates the release of appropriate sites that are outside currently identified settlement boundaries. “The appeal proposal would result in a sustainable development on the edge of a settlement where development of this scale can be appropriately located. “The proposal would not result in material harm to either social cohesiveness or sustainable development principles.” The proposal was refused by the committee on the grounds that the site is located outside the settlement boundary for Penyffordd and Penymynydd and the need for a housing supply did not outweigh the harm arising from the development. Councillors also said insufficient surface water drainage details had been submitted to enable a full assessment of the risk of flooding of the site and surrounding area to be made. The applicant said: “Surface water drainage was addressed in the Flood Consequences Assessment and Drainage Management Strategy submitted with the application and further information was submitted in response to the planning authority’s subsequent request. “It is clear this matter can be addressed satisfactorily and, consequently, there is no reason why the matter cannot be appropriately conditioned so as to provide for the necessary detailed design work to be undertaken in association with a subsequent reserved matters submission.” The applicants added they would be submitting an application for costs from the local authority. They said: “In overall terms there is no substantial planning justification to support either of the reasons for refusal and the council has, therefore, acted unreasonably in refusing the appeal proposal, resulting in an appeal and delay in a development that should, reasonably, have been permitted on application.” When throwing out the proposals last month, councillors hit oout at developers for attempting “speculative” development plans to take advantage of Flintshire’s lack of a five-year housing supply. Buckley councillor Mike Peers said: “Because we are unable to deliver a five-year supply, developers are exploiting this and they aren’t interested in the impact on communities. They want houses built at any cost. “Rest assured that we, as a planning committee, will uphold our policy. We care about communities in Flintshire and if we get a raw deal like this we will support our communities.” The plans were refused after a major backlash from residents who argued developments in the area had the potential to “destroy” their village. Strong objections were also raised by Penyffordd Community Council. as well as 309 members of the public.
Redrow has appealed against a decision by Flintshire council to refuse planning permission for 309 homes to be built on Chester Road in Penymynydd and accused the council of acting "unreasonably". The decision was based on the need for the controversial development site, located outside the settlement boundary for Penyffordd and Penymynydd, not outweighing the harm of its impact and the submission of insufficient surface water drainage details.