Flintshire timber yard could be transformed into holiday lodge development

A timber yard could be transformed into a setting for more than a dozen holiday lodges if plans are approved by Flintshire Council.

The authority’s planning department has received an application to change the use of the storage facility at Ffordd Glyndwr, Nercwys, near Mold, so that 15 tourist lodges can be situated there.

According to the applicants, the proposed ‘high specification’ holiday lodges will support the local tourism industry.

The land, in part, is currently used for the storage of timber and timber products and the rest is low value grasslands.

Siberian Timber (UK) Ltd, the applicant, currently operates from the site but will be relocating to more suitable accommodation and will be remaining within the local area.

But a similar application submitted for 19 lodges at the same location was refused on ecological grounds last year.

A planning statement submitted with the current application states that these concerns have since been addressed.

“This full application follows the pre-application consultation and has now reduced the number of proposed lodges from 17 to 15 in order to ensure the preservation of the East Maes-hadn Lead Mine ruins”, it says.

The statement adds: “Whilst consent was subsequently refused in February 2022 for the provision of 17 holiday lodges, this was purely due to ecological reasons which have now been rectified.

“The principle of development was considered acceptable for both previous applications on site. The proposed development, the site and surroundings and planning policy remains as previously submitted when the principle of development was considered acceptable.

“Planning Policy Wales highlights the importance of tourism and how it is vital to economic prosperity and can be a catalyst for regeneration, improvement of the built environment and environmental protection.

“It states that the planning system encourages tourism where it contributes to economic development, conservation, rural diversification, urban regeneration and social inclusion.”

Decisions are still to be made on some aspects of the design of the lodges, which the applicants say will improve the character of the site.

“In terms of the design of the lodges, the applicant has been in constant communication with the suppliers to ensure the most appropriate colours and themes are provided”, the statement adds.

“It is understood that the preferred colours for the lodges would be brown – this is based on the consultee responses for the previous applications on site. The applicant is happy to be advised during the post-submission stage as to the preferred colours on site.”

Flintshire Council planners will make a decision on the proposals at a future date.
By Rory Sheehan – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).