A COMMUNITY has hit back at proposals for land to be earmarked for nearly 300 homes.

Cllr Sam Swash, of Hawarden Community Council, delivered a 1,000 strong petition to Flintshire Council at County Hall on Monday.

This is in opposition to green-barrier land between Ash Lane and Park Avenue in Hawarden being set aside by Flintshire Council as part of its Local Development Plan (LDP) - which has earmarked the land for 280 homes.

The finalised LDP was approved by Flintshire councillors in July, with the consultation period having finished on Monday.

The document outlines land where the council believes up to 7,000 houses should be built over the next decade, along with employment sites which could deliver up to 10,000 jobs.

Cllr Swash said: “Over the last six weeks, the communities of Hawarden and Mancot have come together to send a very clear message to Flintshire County Council - we are united in opposing the sell off of our green-barrier land to private property companies.

“The council has had four years to consult between themselves on this LDP, whilst the communities affected are given just six weeks.

“In that time we’ve set up an action group, leafleted the villages and held a public meeting to raise awareness. But the odds are stacked against local communities - the objection window is short, it’s poorly advertised by the council and the online portal is completely unfit for purpose.

“Despite all of that, in just six weeks’ time we have managed to collect 996 signatures on our petition opposing this development, which I think shows the strength of feeling locally against this proposal.”

This site in question was included in Flintshire Council’s last Unitary Development Plan (2000-2015) and faced huge opposition from the local community and was subsequently removed.

Cllr Swash added: “The Welsh Government has just this year declared a ‘climate emergency’.

“So for Flintshire Council to react to this by simply removing local green-barrier land so that it can be developed by private property companies is both deeply irresponsible and in direct contravention to the sort of environmental protections our community deserves.

“After a decade of austerity cuts by central government, our local council should be prioritising the building of social and affordable housing on brownfield sites, not further developments of local white elephants made up of houses unaffordable to the majority of young and working class people.”

A spokesman for Flintshire Council’s planning department said: “If the councillor has submitted his views during the consultation period, which closed yesterday (Monday), then we will be able to consider them along with other submissions.”