Fresh bid to turn Caergwrle pub into house after refusal over flood risk concerns

A fresh bid has been launched to turn a village pub in Flintshire into a house after previous plans were refused on flood risk grounds.

An application to convert the Bridge Inn in Caergwrle was rejected by Flintshire Council in November last year because of the risk of flooding from the River Alyn.
The proposals were submitted by owner David Metcalfe after the business closed in 2018 because of a lack of trade.

The decision to deny permission was later upheld by the Planning Inspectorate following an appeal.

Mr Metcalfe has now entered a renewed attempt to push the scheme through in light of new maps published by Natural Resources Wales, which are said to show the site as being at “very low risk” of flooding.

A statement submitted to the local authority on his behalf states: “Since the application, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) have issued new flood risk assessment Wales (FRAW) maps which have redefined the flood risks to be considered when determining planning applications.

“The new FRAW map places the application site within the rivers zone 2 category with a very low flooding risk i.e. between 1 in 1000 (0.1 per cent) and 1 in 100 (1.0 percent) thereby removing the reasons for refusal of planning approval as quoted in the planning officer’s report and the decision notice.

“However, the owners of the property will be registering for the receipt of flood warnings from NRW and following as far as is possible the advice they issue with regard to alleviating the problems associated with flooding.”

During the appeal process for the previous application, consultants representing Mr Metcalfe argued the flood risk was irrelevant as the first floor of the building had been used as living space for several years.

However, the inspector appointed to oversee the case concluded it was not a suitable location for development due to its flood risk classification.

A decision will be made on the latest proposals by the council at a later date.

Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).