Concerns raised over plans for 300 homes in Hawarden

In March, Castle Green Homes submitted a planning application for 300 homes on land to the west of Gladstone Way and west of Ash Lane in Hawarden.

The site is approximately 27.33 acres (11.06 hectares) and consists of a number of agricultural fields bound by existing residential properties on its northern, eastern and western boundaries. 

The site is allocated for residential development in the adopted Flintshire Local Development Plan. The proposed 300 homes will comprise a range of two-storey one-to-four-bedroom properties and include a variety of flats, terraced, semi-detached and detached properties. 

Llyr Gruffydd, Sam Swash, Maddie Hilton, Lara Hilton (Image: Llyr Gruffydd)

Local campaigners have already submitted 2,500 objections as the planning application comes before Flintshire Council's planning committee later this month. Llyr Gruffydd MS recently met with campaigners and local councillor Sam Swash near the site to learn about their concerns.

Mr Gruffydd said: “This development will severely impact local infrastructure. The school, local GP surgeries and the local road network are already struggling to cope. This development will only make matters worse.

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“Flintshire County Council planning department must take into consideration the local concerns over the development. Although there is need for new homes in the area, this development is far from being suitable for a community like Hawarden.”

“Planning policy needs to be far more empathetic to local needs when considering housing developments. We need more housing provision, but the need to be the right homes in the right places. I'm also concerned about the loss of prime agricultural land at a time when we need to consider food security."

Cllr Swash added: "The campaign against this housing development has been the biggest of its kind in Flintshire's recent history. In spite of that, it has still been put forward as an allocated site in Flintshire's Local Development Plan, leading to the submission of this planning application. 

"We very much welcome Llyr Gruffydd's support for our campaign in opposing this recklessly irresponsible scheme."

Stuart Andrew, design and planning director at Castle Green, said: “Under the new Flintshire County Council Local Development Plan, adopted last year following years of evidence gathering and investigations by experts, the site in Mancot is considered entirely suitable for a housing development of the scale proposed and the land has been allocated for this purpose. A significant green barrier would remain between Hawarden and Mancot under our proposals.

“Our plans for 300 homes include 105 affordable homes, which will be a real benefit to those on low incomes living in the area, providing high quality, energy efficient affordable homes for local people. The affordable properties will be delivered with a range of tenures to meet local affordable housing need and distributed to people on Flintshire County Council’s affordable housing waiting lists.

“Subject to a planning agreement, we would also commit to funding local community facilities and infrastructure to support the growth of the neighbourhood through section 106 contributions. For example, local schools would receive significant financial contributions, potentially totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds, which they wouldn’t receive without the delivery of these much-needed new homes. The fully developed scheme would also deliver around £750,000 of council tax to Flintshire County Council per year, which could be administered by them to deliver improvements to public services for new and existing residents.”

Flintshire County Council were approached for a comment.