PLANS to continue building a controversial housing development have been unanimously rejected.

Permission for six three-storey houses - to sit next to four homes already built on the site of the former Royal British Legion in Gadlys Lane, Bagillt - was refused permission by Flintshire Council’s planning committee yesterday.

Councillors had been discussing a bid by Chester Building Services Ltd to build a total of 10 new houses on Gadlys Lane.

Planning officers had earlier recommended the development for approval, but councillors said they wanted a site visit before making a decision.

The 16-member planning committee went on a site visit on Monday and at yesterday’s committee meeting councillors, after listening to an “impassioned plea” by resident Andrew Davies and by former Flintshire and Bagillt councillor Terry Renshaw, unanimously turned down the plans.

Mr Davies told councillors: “There can only be one outcome from this meeting - to demolish the four illegal houses on Gadlys Lane.

“Flintshire planning officers have failed in their duty to follow their own rules and regulations in their LDP.

“The four illegal houses are massive and are built 7.5 metres too close to our properties on Beechcroft Close. It is completely blocking us off.”

Mr Renshaw said the former British Legion building was not two storey, but Andy Roberts, head of planning policy, said: “The British Legion sat three to four metres closer to the site boundary, but that has been pushed further back now.

“Work has been done and there is a bit of frustration about how long its taken to get to the committee meeting, and two years to effectively come up with amendments, but with the combination of planning history, together with additional alteration formats, we have a situation which is better and the solution is perhaps in terms of privacy and amenity.

“Development work has been done to improve the scenario.”

Mr Renshaw, who spoke on behalf of the community council, said: “These developments are for three-storey buildings which well overpowers the buildings in front and departs from our own LDP [Local Development Plan].

“Rules are for fools and the guidance of old men, and this is well out of our guidance of privacy and amenity.”

Bagillt West county councillor Mike Reece, in a letter addressed to the committee, said the proposed houses were “overbearing” and had been “a bundle of contention for the past 12 years”.

He said: “You can dress it up as you please, but the houses are far too near and should be further back.

“Bungalows should have been built, but the developer is trying to get as many houses on site as possible and it is not suitable for the area.”

Cllr Patrick Heesom told councillors: “It is with desperate importance that we stick to planning regulations which have been breached.”

Cllr David Cox said the designated distance between properties fell short of the regulations and the development amounted to a “clear invasion of privacy”.

Cllr Kevin Hughes said the site visit had highlighted that the new houses were “unbelievably close” while Cllr Richard Lloyd said the site meeting was an “eye opener” in terms of the height of the properties.

Cllr Richard Jones deemed the four current houses a “mistake” while Cllr Owen Thomas said the privacy of current residents was of utmost importance and the recommendation to approve did not take the views of those householders.

Cllr Derek Butler said: “Sometimes we get things wrong and I think a mistake has been made here.

“Members, not officers, have made a mistake.

“Having three-storey houses in this particular area is appalling.”

Cllr Chris Bithell said while he was on the site visit he felt he was being “intrusive”.

He said landscaping, as recommended by planning officers, would not solve the problem of over-dominance.

“I’m concerned this has been allowed to happen in the first place and we can’t defend the indefensible,” he said.

Councillors said they wanted to “provide a scheme for a package of measures to provide privacy and amenity”.