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The Planning Committee on 2 June 2025 granted permission for two planning applications and noted a performance report. It allowed the Maelor Foods poultry plant in Cross Lanes to process more birds, with the weekly limit kept at 1,000,000 until a car park management plan is in place. It also granted retrospective permission for a replacement dwelling at Willmore, Bronington.
There were no apologies for absence submitted.
The Minutes of the Meeting held on 6 May 2025 were submitted. RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 6 May 2025 be signed as a correct record.
There were no declarations of interest submitted.
The Chair welcomed Councillors Beryl Blackmore and Anthony Wedlake to their first Meeting since joining the Committee and thanked former Committee Members Councillors Jeremy Kent and Stella Mathews for their contributions during their time on the Committee. The Chair informed Members that Michelle Zenner, Senior Engineer Development Control, would shortly be leaving the Authority, and paid tribute to her invaluable contribution to the work of this Committee. Members concurred with the comments of the Chair and conveyed their sincere thanks and best wishes to Michelle.
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Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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The Chief Officer Economy and Planning submitted a report (COEP/06/2025) asking Members to determine the listed planning applications.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That permission be granted in accordance with the Officer recommendation, subject to the following additional condition: Condition 15 No more than 1,000,000 birds shall be processed each week until a Car Park Management Plan has been implemented in accordance with a scheme that shall first have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The Car Park Management Plan shall thereafter remain in operation for the lifetime of the development. Reason To protect highway safety in compliance with Policy DM1 of the Wrexham Local Development Plan.
The Chair welcomed Mr Guy Evans to the Meeting who spoke in favour of the application. The Officer presented the report, and in doing so, displayed plans of the site to assist with his presentation. A discussion ensued and the following points were made: · The application requested a change to the layout of the car park, but there would be no negative impact on the wider rural landscape. · NRW were satisfied that appropriate controls would be put in place, but it was noted that they had their own enforcement powers and sanctions if permits were breached. · Conditions required acoustic measures to be implemented before production at the site increased. · Whilst there would be an increase in parking, the applicant had demonstrated that there was adequate space on site. However, there would be additional measures put in place to promote sustainable modes of travel. · Concern by some Members at the impact on nearby residents, highway safety and the suitability of the road infrastructure. Officers advised that there were no extensions being proposed, and the changes to the layout of the car parking areas was very minimal so there should be no impact in terms of the wider landscape. · Confirmation that changes to the waste water plant would reduce emissions due to a lower volume of phosphorus being present. · Recognition that the applicant was considerate of the neighbouring properties and had taken steps to ensure the site wasn’t going to negatively impact them. · Suggestion that a car park management plan be submitted by the applicant. RESOLVED – That permission be granted in accordance with the Officer recommendation, subject to the following additional condition: Condition 15 No more than 1,000,000 birds shall be processed each week until a Car Park Management Plan has been implemented in accordance with a scheme that shall first have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The Car Park Management Plan shall thereafter remain in operation for the lifetime of the development. Reason To protect highway safety in compliance with Policy DM1 of the Wrexham Local Development Plan.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED - That permission be GRANTED in accordance with the Officer recommendation.
The Officer presented the report, and in doing so, displayed approved plans and new plans of the site to assist with his presentation. A discussion ensued and the following points were made: · This was a retrospective application as work had commenced but was not in accordance with the approved plans. · Concerns by the local Member that the original plans didn’t include a dormer bungalow aspect, and the neighbours were concerned about being overlooked by the side window. For these reasons, he proposed a site visit. · Officers advised that conditions required the window to be permanently fixed shut and would be obscurely glazed. As the window was currently glazed with clear glass, the Enforcement Team would need to ensure the window was erected in a manner which met the requirements of the condition. · Collectively, Members expressed disappointment and frustration that this was a retrospective application and non-compliance with the original application. The site visit was proposed and seconded but on being put to the vote, was lost. RESOLVED - That permission be GRANTED in accordance with the Officer recommendation.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Chief Officer Economy and Planning submitted a report (COEP/31/25) to provide updates on the performance of the Council’s Planning Service for reporting period quarter 4 of the financial year period 2024-25 and staff resourcing. A discussion ensued and the following points were noted: · Recognition of the hard work of the team in trying to clear backlogs and determine applications within an 8 week period. · Enforcement cases could be challenging as in some cases, it was difficult to obtain information, particularly if the land owner couldn’t be identified. · Welcome news that the team would be fully resourced following the recent appointment of a Principal Planning Officer, Senior Planning Officer and two Planning Assistants. · The ICT system had been placed for 12 months, and Officers were able to utilise it to review performance in more detail and provide feedback to individual team members to constructively identify whether there were any issues with caseloads. · An all Member Workshop was being planned for the autumn which would cover information about enforcement and the introduction of online reporting. · Recognition that the Department may be negatively impacted by the implementation of the hybrid working policy requiring staff to be in the office for 80% of the working week. Officers confirmed that staff needed to spend time in the office, but also needed to be able to work in a quieter environment and have a good degree of flexibility enabling them to react to certain tasks. It was acknowledged that hybrid working was important and had to coincide with monitoring and management. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the list of Delegated Decisions be noted.
The Chief Officer Economy and Planning submitted a list of delegated decisions for the period 1 March 2025 to 30 March 2025. RESOLVED – That the list of Delegated Decisions be noted.