A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build more than 130 homes in Meliden has been refused. 

Penrhyn Homes wanted to build 133 homes on land at Mindale Farm, off Ffordd Hendre and Ffordd Gwilym Meliden Prestatyn, after demolishing farm buildings. 

Denbighshire Council planning committee members met last Wednesday to discuss the scheme - which was recommended for approval but the plan was turned down due to the scale of development and its impact on highway safety and potential flooding in the area.

Land at Mindale Farm was not originally earmarked for building in Denbighshire’ County Council’s local development plan, but was included after the planning inspector - who considered the plan - called on the authority to allocate more housing sites to meet future demand.

The plan to build the homes had been met with fierce objection - from both councillors and residents.

One objector councillor Bob Paterson – who is not standing for re-election, voiced that he felt the traffic assessment, provided by applicant Penrhyn Homes, had several errors and appeared to have been written “without regard to topography of site”.

He said: “A residents survey of 100 people showed 95 per cent against the development. Surface water was also a major concern, and the application showed only 14 houses (10 per cent) were classed as low cost affordable homes.

”What a great day, once again the county councillors disagreed with the officers and refused permission.”

Access to the proposed site at present is via a narrow track, referred to as Ffordd Hendre. Penryhn Homes wanted to create a new access road from Ffordd Gwilym which involved using land which currently forms the garden area of number 33 Ffordd Gwilym and the demolition of the property’s side extension. A new section of road would then have been built, along an old track which runs South West alongside the boundary of the playing field to the North West of Ysgol Melyd.   

Journal readers took to Facebook to voice their dismay at the plans. 

Ceri Gillespie wrote: "This planning application should be thrown out! The village can't take this amount of houses, cars or people. The infrastructure isn't suitable. Unfortunately a person living on Ffordd Gwilym passed away recently and the ambulance couldn't even get near the house so what will it be like when the houses are built."

Mary Rendell added: "All the green land is being used we don't need any more housing as it is other builders are already spoiling the area.”

Councillor Anton Sampson spoke out against the scheme at the planning committee meeting.

Speaking to the Journal after the meeting, he said: “I objected on grounds of highways issues and have concerns on flood risk, drainage and so on but my main issue that I spoke about was the loss of natural habitat – reports of several types of shrew, owls, newts have been received. Natural habitat can never be mimicked by simply landscaping the site. Natural habitat takes decades to develop and once it has gone, it may never come back.

“I'm delighted that it has been refused and if it goes to appeal, I would urge the Welsh Government to do the same. We're fed up of being told what to do by Cardiff on large developments without the local knowledge of our residents and councillors.”