Concerned Wrexham residents have met with a local MS over a 1,520-home development on their doorstep.

Neighbours on Bersham Road have concerns about Redrow’s bid to build the development on Lower Berse Farm.

The group is rallying support from across Wrexham – but residents only have until Friday, October 13 to take part in Wrexham Council’s public consultation.

Member of the Senedd Ken Skates met with some residents to discuss the plans for the development.

The Clwyd South MS said: “This planned development is huge. It’ll be like a self-contained village being dropped in the middle of two communities, and you’re probably talking about another 3,000 cars being thrust upon a local road network which is already buckling as it is.”

Lower Berse Farm straddles the Clwyd South and Wrexham constituencies, with Wrexham MS Lesley Griffiths also urging residents to make their voices heard before Friday’s deadline.

Karen Evans, who lives on the edge of the proposed development, said it would have an ‘enormous’ impact.

She said: “If the two new proposed roads to the south of the site onto Bersham Road are permitted, there will be a detrimental impact on a number of heritage properties that should be protected along with the Bersham Conservation Area and the residents of the historic village.

“A small village such as Bersham is not able to take thousands of extra vehicles a day without having a negative effect. Whilst some development is inevitable and needed in Wrexham, a development of this size should not be allowed to go ahead.”

Neighbour Mark Andrew said: “The developers have completely underestimated the negative impact of the increase in traffic on what are already extremely busy roads and the knock-on effect to Junction 4 of the A483 and Ruthin Road.

“The proposal for 1,520 dwellings has the potential to add an additional 3,000 vehicles to the traffic flows we have today. This would, in my view, have a catastrophic effect on the area.

“Bersham Road is a B-road and will not cope with that amount of traffic, especially as there are pinch-points at either end, with the sharp bend to the railway bridge at Bryn Offa, and the extremely narrow historic bridge at Bersham.”

Read more: 

Mr Andrew is also worried about how dispatch vehicles from the ambulance and fire stations on nearby Croesnewydd Road would be affected in emergencies.

He added: “The environmental impact will also cause a substantial risk of flooding to the south-east of the proposed development on land adjacent to the River Clwedog, where there are a number of springs already rendering the ground to being marshy and continually wet. The amount of ground preparation for the development will detrimentally affect the water table, increasing the flood risk. Add this to the loss of agricultural land and its associated wildlife habitats, and it would be an environmental disaster waiting to happen.”

Mr Skates added: “I have been contacted about this development regularly over the past few months, and have raised concerns with Wrexham Council as the Local Planning Authority which will ultimately make the decision.

“Time is running out for people to have their say on this, so I would once again encourage anyone who feels strongly about this to take part in the consultation to make their voice heard.”

Redrow argues that the area is a "sustainable location" and that care was taken when designing the development.

Paul Murray, strategic land director at Redrow (NW), said: “We have taken care when designing this development to address local concerns around the impact on neighbouring highways and potential flooding. Independent transport and flooding assessments have been submitted as part of our planning application and they set out appropriate ways to mitigate these issues as part of the development. 

“We believe this is a sustainable location for a carefully phased development of much-needed new homes, built over a number of years. We’re proposing a new primary school, community centre and other amenities that could include shops, a nursery, and a café to provide facilities for new residents and those in the surrounding neighbourhoods.”