A TRUCK-stop could pose a major traffic hazard and damage the countryside, according to campaigners.

Opposition to the proposed 20-vehicle site in Caerwys is mounting, with campaign group STAG 31, community councils and wildlife groups calling for plans to be refused.

More than 1,000 signatures have also been gathered on a petition against the site.

The application will go before Flintshire Council’s planning committee today for a second time after the decision was deferred last month.

Mike Moriarty, chair of STAG 31, said there was strong opposition in the community and he feared for the erosion of the countryside.

He said: “This will have a very large impact. It is on the B5112 Caerwys Road from the A55.

“What impression is it going to give to tourists coming through the area to see a large truck stop on the side of the road? We have caravan parks in the area. There is concern.

“If they are going to keep taking our countryside, then Flintshire is going to become a concrete block.”

Members of Caerwys Town Council raised concerns over the impact on road safety, including that of schoolchildren and pedestrians, and hours of use.

A spokesman for the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales said: “The proposed site is in a rural landscape where such development is inappropriate and there is unlikely to be any screening to sufficiently mitigate the visual impact. It would constitute a major traffic hazard due to the number of vehicles.”

The group also said there was a danger of water pollution due to oil seepage from the vehicles while Clwyd Badger Group are objecting to the plans unless far reaching mitigation measures are provided, due to the high number of badgers in the area.

The application is for a lorry park for a maximum of 20 vehicles, including toilet and washing facilities, on land at Park View Garage, Crossways Road.

Planning officers have recommended to grant permission subject to conditions, with county planners having the final say at today’s meeting.

Applicant Peter Davies said he wanted to wait until after the decision to comment.

This is not the first time provision for truckers has caused controversy.

Earlier this year, Whitford councillor Chris Dolphin said he feared truckers using the Singing Kettle service station situated just off the Caerwys exit on the A55 could cause a serious accident.

He claimed the crowded parking was causing potentially dangerous bottlenecks
on the road approaching the site.