ANGRY residents fear a new housing development could destroy a popular beauty spot and cause fatal accidents.

A protest group has been set up by Connah’s Quay residents to campaign against a planning application for a residential development on Wepre Park road.

The plans include new public roads to be built on the site.

Kathleen Tellett, from Wepre Drive, said: “We are very concerned because of highways and access problems. The development will be coming out on to Wepre Drive itself which is already very congested with traffic and that’s before the new Morrisons opens.

“We are afraid there will be accidents with so much traffic.

“The site is also part of Wepre Park which is a green area with badgers and kingfishers. If this development happens it will take these away. People walk their dogs down there, it’s really lovely.

“Residents are against the whole development.”

Maxwell Lomax, 75, says he fears the Wepre Mill farmhouse adjoining his cottage will be demolished if the application goes ahead.

“The year 1754 is on the farmhouse which we think makes it the third oldest building in Connah’s Quay,” he said.

“My parents used to live in the farmhouse and I’ve lived in this cottage for 46 years. I’m going to lose the gable end of my house if this happens.”

The application, put forward by a Mr R Hetherington, is currently under consultation.

Connah’s Quay town councillor Ian Dunbar said the application had been put forward twice before without success.

He added: “As a town councillor I think that with the majority of residents opposed to this we naturally support them.

“We are going along the same lines we have been the past two or three times this application was submitted. It was previously withdrawn because of opposition from Welsh Water and highways.

“The application we got as a town council this time was exactly what it had been two years ago.”

A spokesman for Flintshire County Council said the number of houses planned had not yet been finalised.

The spokesman said: “This is an outline planning application. No numbers have been specified as it is an indicative plan submitted by the applicant.”