A UNIVERSITY chief has accused Wrexham council of a wasted opportunity after planning officials rejected two significant proposals this week.

Wrexham Glyndwr submitted a total of nine planning applications to the council as part of its ambitious Campus 2025 project, which aims to transform and the develop the university, but two of them were refused.

The plans include the development of the main campus at Plas Coch, with brand new Student Union facilities and a refurbished restaurant, while lecture theatres, classrooms, specialist workshops and laboratories will be upgraded.

Professor Maria Hinfelaar, who is both Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive said the decision to refuse the planning applications for residential developments at Holt Road and Gatewen was "unsatisfactory" as both would have helped fund the much wider improvement scheme. The plans were refused due to concerns about the impact on the local road network and a loss of green space within both communities.

Professor Hinfelaar said: "These sites are owned by the university but are not required, so their disposal forms part of the funding strategy for Campus 2025.

"We are convinced that we addressed all concerns sensitively and that our applications were compliant with planning policy, so it was incredibly disappointing that the Wrexham County Borough Council planning committee decided not to support our vision for the future of the university and Wrexham as a whole.

"Of course, we had factored mitigating measures into these plans, for instance the preservation of green space at Holt Road for use by a local football club. We had also ensured that the applications dovetailed with the emerging new LDP which clearly sets out additional housing needs."

Professor Hinfelaar went on to say that the scheduled road improvements, such as those to the A483 junction close to the Gatewen site, would go a long way towards alleviating the current traffic issues and said the university considered itself well-placed to lodge an appeal, which would be the most likely next step.

She added: "I can speak for all my colleagues at the university to say we are committed to Wrexham and the wider region.

"But I would strongly argue that Wrexham also needs to support us, so that we can invest in our future: your future and the future of our citizens through the full delivery of Campus 2025.

"Put simply, it is unsatisfactory to grant approval of proposals that cost significant money and then turn down proposals which help to fund them – especially if these fit in well with wider plans for the area.

"This should have been a win-win, but that opportunity has been wasted – for now."

The proposed development, the university say, would respect the heritage of its main building, but would bring out some of its original design features, such as the green quadrangle being opened up and becoming a more natural thoroughfare. Professor Hinfelaar went on to explain how vital it was to provide the best facilities for its students, otherwise the nurses, teachers and computer scientists of tomorrow would be lost from the region for good.

She said: "If our facilities are not good enough, then these students have plenty of alternative choices at universities the length and breadth of the UK.

"Experience tells us that, in the majority of cases, once people have left North Wales to study elsewhere they will also take up career opportunities away from here.

"Such a scenario does not bode well for the future state of our health service, our schools, our manufacturing sector and many other parts of the economy which are so critical for the fabric of our society."