Meetings Meetings Meetings

We have all been lobbying for meetings with everyone who we believe could help us with our campaign to stop the overdevelopment of the village and then get involved with the preparation of our Community Development Plan.

In the past week we have had a very productive meeting with Mark Tami, our local MP who is very supportive of our cause. We have also met with the planning department at Flintshire County Council to discuss the objections they have received on the Redrow Chester Road application and how they are being viewed.

We need to do some more work on understanding some of the policies they referenced before we communicate what we need to do next - but there is clearly a need for further action from the community.

The planners suggested that the earliest we could expect the application to go to Committee is now December.  They also confirmed that we are still able to make objections and submit comments via the planning officer, Alan Wells (alan.wells@flintshire.gov.uk).

More to follow...

Redrow Update

Quick update on the Redrow application 055590.

PLANNING COMMITTEE DATE

The date has still not been published - this is very unusual. We understand that Redrow are late submitting additional information to Flintshire. Possible dates are:

- Nov 16th or

- Dec 14th

IMPORTANT TRAFFIC UPDATE

Documents have been updated on the Planning Application - there is an updated Transport plan which clarifies the situation for Hazel Drive. There is no longer a suggestion for emergency access, but it now includes pedestrian access through Hazel Drive. However, it leaves open the future need for Emergency services consultation which could mean vehicular access. It also responds to some of the details people have objected to such as the blind brow of the hill and traffic volumes from the other developments in the village. Details here:

https://digital.flintshire.gov.uk/FCC_Planning/Home/NewDocView/107033

PLANNING POLICY ARGUMENTS

Today Mark Tami MP was due to meet Colin Everett, CEO of Flintshire CC to discuss Penyffordd. We are expecting an update next week. Last month a small application in Caegwrle was refused because of the UDP policy breeches (good news) and the application for 56 homes in Kinnerton rejected on 'drainage' has been appealed (bad news).

There is a lot of correspondence between Cllrs on the planning committee, the Flintshire planning officers and ourselves.

We are being heard but we must continue to make our concerns heard!

Dyke Farm Update

We have received an update from Cllr Cindy Hinds that the application for a battery installation on Dyke Farm has been withdrawn.

It is possible that it may come back redesigned, but for now it is good news.

Thank you to everyone who submitted an objection.

Why 'Save our Village'?

There has been some debate on village Facebook pages about why we are trying to 'Save our Village' and questioning what is wrong with development and improvements to the village?

No one involved in this group has any objection to planned growth or improvements to the village and the facilities in the village - quite the opposite. But, there is a huge problem with planning policies right now.

In Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government have a policy of development based on 'Local Development Plans'. These LDPs take into account the need for housing of every type along with business, jobs, transport, health, schooling, the environment and so on. The idea is that each community grows in a planned way with everything taken into account.

When local authorities develop their plan, they consult with the community and other stakeholders and we end up with a plan. At the moment, Flintshire are writing their plan. The last one covered the period 2000 - 2015. The next one is not now expected to be ready until 2019.

With no plan in place, and because of a technicality about needing a 5-year supply of housing, right now developers are able to make applications for developments anywhere. The local boundary can be ignored. The limits on the size of developments can be ignored.

Pen-y-ffordd and Penymynydd are threatened because of where they are. From a developers point of view, our villages are ideally located to sell houses. Good commuter links, close to Chester and Wrexham, commutable to Manchester, Liverpool and Llandudno. We are in the country but with the facilities at Broughton, with nearby supermarkets, a good high school and everything you can need. All the reasons we enjoy living here.

Flintshire have already ignored their own policies to allow the developments we already have in the village. In the last plan, Pen-y-ffordd was designated as a Category B settlement (Category A is urban, like Mold and Buckley, Category C is smaller villages like Dobshill and Kinnerton). The growth limit for us was 8 - 15%. Right now we have grown 31%. If the next 2 developments are allowed, that increases to 46% and we have 3 more years before we have protection for the LDP!

We welcome the residents of the new developments at Meadowslea, Redrow White Lion and Taylor Wimpey - in reality almost everyone in the village is living in what was a new development at some point in the last 3 decades! In fact it is important that everyone in the village speaks up because the facilities we share cannot keep up with the housing development and our quality of lives is affected. Specifically for our villages:

- drainage and waste problems already
- lack of water pressure
- lack of internet capacity
- lack of school places
- no doctor and no capacity at nearby doctors
- transport for people without cars
- things to do for young people
- Spar access and parking
- traffic volume and noise
- housing for the elderly and the young

The village will always grow, it needs to. It will need development, but it needs to be planned. It needs to consider the infrastructure and facilities. Flintshire C.C. have their own priorities. As a group we are following the lead from Gwernymynydd and Mold communities who have devised their own plan for the improvement of their village - taking everything into account - and that is what we are trying to do. Create a document that represents the collective voice of the community. 

The finished plan will help to guide the Community Council, the Planners at Flintshire and developers about what the village needs and wants. We expect to work WITH developers in the future in order to help them to have an easier route to development, by ensuring that what they are planning fits with the community plan.

We would encourage everyone to use their voice to share their ideas, concerns, suggestions and needs via this site - we are listening and want to reflect the real views of the whole community. 

 

Planning Committee in Action

Flintshire County Council webcast the planning committee and it is possible to watch back recent sessions. Listening to the frustrations of the Councillors on the committee in dealing with the failings of the national policy is very worrying.

The Planning Committee vote on the Kinnerton development

The Planning Committee vote on the Kinnerton development

Many of the Councillors on the committee are sympathetic about overdevelopment, including Cllr Derek Butler, Cllr Alison Halford and Cllr Chris Bithell. Others feel like they are powerless to resist and have voted in favour despite their own personal viewpoint. Vocal among these is Cllr Gareth Roberts.

We need to write to the committee members to give them our support, remind them how strongly we feel about the over-development of our village and also provide them with the policy ammunition they need to stand up for our cause.

This is a link to view the July committee which considered a development of 56 houses outside of the Kinnerton village boundary.

https://flintshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/207662

We don't yet know the date of the Chester Road (Redrow) planning committee, but it is vital that we turn up in force with as many people as possible in attendance to show the strength of feeling in the village.

We are allowed only 3 minutes for someone to speak in objection, plus 5 minutes each for our two local Councillors, Cllr Cindy Hinds and Cllr David Williams. If you want to hear how we plan to use the time and have your own voice heard, please come to the next meeting at the Legion 12th September 8.00pm.