Residents have vowed not to back down in their opposition to a new council house development.

The Leader recently reported on the decision by Flintshire Council's cabinet to approve costs to develop 92 new social and affordable homes at three sites - Nant y Gro in Gronant, the former council depot in Dobshill and Llys Dewi in Penyffordd near Holywell.

Over the last few weeks cllr Bernie Attridge, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for housing, told cabinet and scrutiny colleagues of his disappointment over the behaviour of objectors, particularly in Gronant - which he described as 'hostile' and akin to 'nimbyism'.

But Gronant Hill resident Sally Roberts, aged 62, hit back at the comments and said she and other residents will not be backing down in their opposition to the 41 council and affordable homes planned for the village as part of the authority’s Strategic Housing and Regeneration Programme (SHARP) scheme.

She told the Leader: “I have lived here for six years and this is not nimbyism.

"We are happy for there to be new council houses and we know there is a need for them but not dumped in a village with no infrastructure. We have a small school and a pub here and that is it.

"The egress and access road is not wide enough for two large vehicles to pass and there are no pavements.

"Prestatyn is where people from Gronant go to access health and dental care, as well as the library and high school.

"But Prestatyn's doctors are stretched already. We're saying that if you bring about 190 people here, why should Flintshire dump its people into Prestatyn and why would people of Prestatyn and Denbighshire want to wait longer to see their doctors?

"Another problem is the amount of traffic we have on Gronant Hill - there can be about 40 lorries a day as well as buses and school buses. The state of it is a nightmare.

"My feeling is that not many people here want it because of the problems it will bring. We're not going to be derailed or give up, not unless they put more infrastructure here."

Mrs Roberts said she disagreed that residents who attended the consultation were rude to council officers.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting earlier this month Clare Budden, chief officer for housing, said: “We have done some consultation - at the Gronant scheme there were a few community issues we need to work through, mainly about access and the condition of the road.

“There are meetings in place to try to address those issues. We are hopeful we can get these schemes through planning and approved later this year.”

Mel Evans, housing strategy officer, said: “A Local Lettings Policy will be adopted for the scheme which means that local people will be prioritised for the scheme and the likelihood is that a high proportion of the new tenants will already be registered with a local GP and dentist. The Council is also assessing the condition of Gronant Hill to determine if any improvements could be made to the road.”