A PUBLIC consultation has been launched to gauge views on plans for hundreds of new homes in Buckley.

The plans by Skye Homes Flintshire Ltd include a mixed use scheme of 435 homes and a 450 square metre retail unit on land at Spon Green in the town.

It will also include new roads, open space and landscape planting, but some residents have already expressed concerns about the impact the development could have on the town and its infrastructure.

On a dedicated website for the consultation, a statement explains: “This scheme presents an exciting and unique opportunity for Buckley, to provide a much-needed mix of housing with subsequent open space.

“The scheme has been carefully designed to be low in density and respectful to the surrounding area. The accompanying planning documents provide further details of the scheme and reasonings to why this is  most sustainable and will contribute towards meeting the housing need in Flintshire.”

According to the site, 139 of the homes will have two bedrooms, 245 will have three bedrooms and the remaining 51 homes will have four bedrooms.

A design and access statement by Paddock Johnson Partnership Architects adds: “Within the overall masterplan the site is divided into different character areas which respond to the varying surroundings, with higher density areas located closer to the existing settlement boundary on Spon Green and lower density areas to the south east of the site adjacent to Bannel Lane.

“The look and feel of each character area will vary within an overarching aesthetic concept common across the whole development, ensuring legibility and that all areas combine to create a strong sense of place.

“In addition to creating a vibrant new semi-rural community, the proposals will benefit the community through the provision of increased local accessible open space, a new local convenience store, new off street parking provision for residents on Spon Green and access to new all-weather playing surfaces with changing facilities.

“The number of residential units has been determined by balancing the urgent need to provide a significant number of new homes with the constraints of the site, creating an attractive place to live and ensuring the scheme is economically viable.

“The proposed layout provides a meaningful residential development in terms of density, which will assist with the Local Authorities housing land position.”

Buckley Pentrobin County Councillor Mike Peers, who chairs the planning section of town council meetings and sits on Flintshire Council’s planning committee, said he could only offer a preliminary view on the proposals at this stage.

He added that councillors could not say whether they were for or against the plans at this stage, as no planning application has been submitted yet.

Cllr Peers said: “I have looked at the website out of interest. I think the retail units could take away from the town centre, where there are a number of empty units currently and which the town council is trying to regenerate via the town masterplan.

“I believe the proposal is on a candidate site for development in Flintshire Council’ Local Development Plan (LDP), but the proposal may or may not be in line with the council’s criteria.

“But we’ve got about 40 candidate sites in the LDP and not every one of them is going to be built on.

“The number of houses allocated should be determined by Flintshire Council’s LDP.

“This proposal has roused alot of people in the town, but there has been consultation on the LDP, it is currently going through due process, and proposals for developments should be determined by that.”

Comments about the plans can be made via the website (www.landatspongreenbuckley.co.uk) until midnight on February 28.