Councillors recommended to refuse plans for 100 house development in Buckley

Plans for up to 100 houses in Buckley have been recommended for refusal by Flintshire planning officers as the development would cause “undue harm to the open countryside.”

An outline application for the homes and access road off Megs Lane in Buckley was submitted last Summer by Lytham based Leith Planning Ltd.

The planning document states the site, which is currently in agricultural use – covers an area of approximately 3.8
hectares.

Amongst those who have objected to the plans is Buckley Town Council along with 90 letters of objection from local residents.

A report published ahead of next weeks planning committee says: ‘The proposal represents inappropriate development that would detrimentally impact upon the designated green barrier and that insufficient information has been submitted to ensure that the proposal has fully taken the ecology of the site into account.’

The report also says: ‘It has not been sufficiently proven that the development would not overload the (Buckley Ty Gwyn) Waste Water Treatment Works and in the opinion of the Local Planning Authority the proposal does not adequately provide public open space provision.’

Chief Planning Officer Andrew Farrow said; “The proposal would cause undue harm to the open countryside and green barrier. I do not consider that this outweighs the above considerations and recommend accordingly.

Inadequate details have been provided with regards to safeguarding the ecology of the site, the provision of public open space and affordable housing provision and to ensure that the capacity of the local water resources meet the need of the development.”

In April plans were lodged for a 435 house development with a 450 square metre retail unit on land close by at Spon Green.

It has yet to go before the planning committee.