Flintshire service station housing plans rejected by council over environmental concerns

Plans for the demolition of a service station in Flintshire and the construction of seven homes have been refused by the Local Planning Authority due to environmental and safety concerns.

The applicant had planned to retire Aber Motors, Abermorddu Service Station, Hawarden Road, Caergwrle, closing the current garage business, and subsequently demolishing the existing building to make way for the residential development.

The proposals were for three two-bedroom terrace houses and four two-bedroom apartments.

A design and access statement submitted by HDS Architectural Services to Flintshire Council as part of the planning application stated that, “the buildings are currently in a bad state of disrepair, and the owner would like to retire from the business.”

“He, therefore, intends to apply for an alternative use for the site.”

“The site lies within an established residential area and is well within the settlement limits of Cefn-y-Bedd as designated within the Flintshire LDP (Local Development Plan).”

“The applicant previously applied for outline planning permission for residential development on the site in 2007, which was subsequently approved.”

“This permission has now expired, but we do not believe that there have been any policy changes since then that would materially affect any subsequent planning applications for residential development in a negative way.”

The site lies in a residential area of the A541, which is a trunk road connecting the town of Wrexham with several other towns in Flintshire.

The owner believed that given the location and characteristics of the surrounding area, residential development was the most appropriate usage for the site.

The layout was designed with careful thought to the surrounding area, topography, frontage, parking, and separation distances between dwellings.

However, the Local Planning Authority has deemed the proposal contrary to policy EN15 of the Flintshire Local Development Plan, citing the lack of information on the increase in phosphorus levels in phosphorus-sensitive river Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), which could harm the environment.

In addition, the proposal has not demonstrated that potential land stability issues as a result of the site’s mining legacy have been appropriately dealt with, which is contrary to policy EN17 of the Flintshire Local Development Plan.

Furthermore, insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate that the site has been adequately assessed for land contamination and potential legacy issues that may exist at the site.

The application also does not appear to demonstrate that the risk of pollution to controlled waters is acceptable, which is contrary to policy EN16 of the Flintshire Local Development Plan.

Despite the deficit of properties in the area, the Local Planning Authority is standing firm on its decision due to the potential environmental and safety risks.