DOZENS of people turned out last night to protest against a gipsy and traveller site in Chirk.

They handed in a petition to the council after standing outside the Guildhall with placards to fight a proposal for a site to be built off the Halton roundabout of the A483.

The council is deciding between three sites for a new gipsy site: the former sewerage treatment works at Coed-y-Felin Road, Brymbo; an extension to the existing site in Ruthin Road and an area of land in Chirk Park.

Residents were left “shocked” when a vote to drop the Chirk and Brymbo sites went against them – by one vote – at a meeting of Wrexham Council’s planning committee organised to discuss the Local Development Plan.

Instead all three sites were put forward for executive board members to consider.

Cllr Ian Roberts, who represents Chirk North, told the meeting the Chirk site had a more valuable use to the county borough as as an employment centre.

“The site is so valuable, not only to Chirk but to the county borough.

“People come to Chirk, they come to land around Chirk.”

But Wrexham Council chief planning officer Lawrence Isted said over 18 months officers had looked at 700 potential locations throughout the borough.

Mr Isted said: “There is no ideal site in the county that people will all agree is a good idea.”

He added there was an identifiable need for a gipsy and traveller site.

After the meeting businessman Tony Evans, who lives opposite the proposed Chirk site, said he was “a bit shocked” that councillors had failed to adopt the Ruthin Road option.

Brymbo Cllr Paul Rogers said after the meeting: “I’m disappointed with the recommendation but no decisions have been made yet.”