Residents in Llay remain “outraged” as plans for the development of land in the village move a step closer to fruition.
Wrexham Councillors will hold a full council meeting on Thursday, November 22, when they will have their say on the Local Development Plan (LDP) after the Executive Board agreed to sending it to an inspector from the Welsh Government last week.
Cllr Rob Walsh said public opposition to the plans remains massive, with more than a third of the 3,500 responses received during the public consultation process being objections to the location of Gypsy and Traveller sites, including those in Llay, Brymbo and Hanmer.
He said: “Public opposition is massive because the selection process is unfair. Why where these sites selected?
“At the meeting on Tuesday, Laurence Isted said he made the decision but it is literally just one sentence and there is no explanation as to why other sites were not chosen.
“The public like to see fair play and for us to proceed on the basis of just one man’s opinion, will not sit well with the public and they are quite rightly outraged.”
Cllr Walsh, who went on the say the plans are “flawed” and “full of holes” criticised the lack of information provided to councillors for making their decision, wants them to do the right thing on Thursday and “lob it in the bin where it belongs.”
He said: “This is not about Gypsy Travellers, it’s about the land and the fact it’s not suitable and other aspects to do with it that weren’t made clear, including the covenant, which they say isn’t a planning issue but it’s a common sense one.
“We’ve got to make a stand when it comes to upsetting the public like this, because they are outraged. If you can’t get the public perception right we may as well pack in and give up.”
During the Executive Board meeting last week, most of the objections raised related to the proposed Gypsy and Traveller sites on Pont y Capel Lane in Llay and a former sewage works on Coed y Felin Road in Brymbo.
It was questioned why the Llay land had been included when it is part of Alyn Waters Country Park and restricted for recreational use by a legal covenant.
The full council meeting will take place in the Wrexham Guildhall at 2pm on Thursday, November 22.
This article originally appeared on The Leader
The Institute cannot confirm the accuracy of this story or confirm that it presents a balanced view. If you feel this is inaccurate we would welcome your perspective and evidence that this is the case.
