Glamping site plans near Mold refused over heritage, highway and River Dee concerns
Plans for a glamping and horse riding holiday site at a farm near Nercwys have been refused by Flintshire County Council.
The council turned down the change of use application for land at Aros Farm, off Ffordd Pentre Bach, on 5 June.
The scheme was submitted by Mr A Wilson of Green House Energy Ltd, with plans for glamping pods alongside an equine holiday business offering riding lessons, pony trekking and grooming experiences.
The original planning statement set out four pods on the 14 acre site, while supporting documents submitted later in the application describe two.
The council gave three reasons for refusal.
It said the proposal would harm the character and appearance of the Plas Onn Conservation Area, an area given extra planning protection for its historic character, and Grade II listed buildings close to the site.
It also said “inconsistent and insufficient” information had been provided about access and traffic, and that the plans would have a harmful effect on Ffordd Pentre Bach, the single-lane road serving the farm.
[Proposed plan]
The third reason concerns the River Dee.
Aros Farm sits within the catchment of the river, which has special legal protection as a Special Area of Conservation.
The council said it does not have enough information to rule out harm from extra nutrients reaching the river until Natural Resources Wales completes a review into phosphate levels in the Dee.
Without that, the council said it had to assume the development would harm the river and refuse the application.
The decision was made by planning officers under delegated powers rather than by councillors at planning committee.
In the planning statement, the applicant’s agents Clwydian Planning described pre-application advice from the council as “notably positive”, quoting a planning officer as saying: “In principle the proposal appears to be acceptable and capable of being supported.”
Pre-application advice is given before a scheme is formally submitted and assessed in full.
The statement argued Flintshire lacks a dedicated equine holiday centre and said the pods would be built by the applicant’s own workforce.
The applicant has six months to appeal the decision to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales, the body that handles planning appeals for the Welsh Government.
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