Rhosnesni field 'village green' application fails

An application had been made to designate land at Dean Road, Rhosnesni as a town or village green, which was decided at a full meeting of Wrexham Council.

Some of the land is owned by the council but much of it is also owned by Wrexham Glyndwr University, which has secured permission for a housing development on a part of the site to help fund its Campus 2025 revamp.

Following a public inquiry, a Welsh Government inspector had recommended that the application to try and designate the land as a village green must fail due to public access to the land having only been by the university’s permission since 2011.

Councillors were told that if they granted village green status to the land, although there would be no right of appeal, they could at risk of being taken to a judicial review.

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Members subsequently voted to refuse the application, with an amendment to keep dialogue open with the University regarding the rest of its land that is not earmarked for development, part of which is used by Borras football club.

Protests against the Dean Road development. (Image: Staff. Liam Randall)

Rhosnesni Cllr Andy Gallanders (Plaid) suggested the amendment while expressing disappointment that the land could not be protected, thanking everyone involved in the campaign for their efforts to “save the last remaining playing field in Rhosnesni for future generations”.

He said: “Whilst obviously disappointed the application has not been successful, I do note the legal advice.”

The amendment proposed by Cllr Gallanders was for the council to open immediate dialogue with the university to formally safeguard the remaining land for the people of Rhosnesni.

Leader of the Council, Esclusham Cllr Mark Pritchard (Ind) said the authority already had ongoing dialogue with the university, and had discussions with the football club. He also questioned whether village green status might prevent football being played on the land.

Wynnstay Cllr Malcom King (Lab), said he was supportive of the campaign to keep it as a green space, adding: “Whatever discussions there are with Glyndwr I would hope they give up forever the idea that they’re going to try and cram lots of houses or anything else on it as I think that would be an awful mistake and a huge loss of valuable amenity.”

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Grosvenor Cllr Marc Jones (Plaid) said that it was “disingenuous” for Cllr Pritchard to suggest village green status could be an obstacle to football being played in the field.

He added: “Glyndwr may have won the legal right to build those houses on that field, but I don’t think it has the moral right to do so.”

Members were told that village green status being given to the land would not protect it from development.

Dean Road land in Rhosnesni, fenced off by Wrexham Glyndwr University (Image: Staff. Liam Randall)

Cllr Pritchard said that there was no “threat” to the rest of the land being developed on, and felt the amendment was “a gimmick”.

Cllr King responded to reject the "gimmick" tag, and say that it was an important amendment to reassure the community about future plans for the rest of the site, and would vote for the amendment to show that.

Members voted in favour of Cllr Gallanders’ amendment to keep dialogue open with the university, in following the recommendation to reject the application for village green status.