A LOCAL authority has been accused of acting “unreasonably” after rejecting plans to build houses on the site of a hospital for Polish ex-servicemen.

Wrexham Council has twice kicked back proposals to develop part of the Penley Polish Hospital site, which was set up to cater for Polish patients following World War II.

At the peak of its use in the early 1950s, it was home to more than 2,000 patients and staff.

The Leader:

Some of the original hospital buildings have since been demolished and replaced by the more modern Penley Community Hospital, which is run by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and has eight individual rooms.

An application was put forward last November to construct nine homes in place of a number of existing buildings at Penley Hall Drive that are said to be in a state of disrepair.

However, permission was refused in light of concerns about the impact on road safety.

The Leader:

An appeal has now been lodged against the decision by applicants Mr K. Barker and Mrs T. Wilson after an agent acting on their behalf claimed the reason for turning the scheme down did not make sense.

In documents submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, Marc Sorrentino said: “Wrexham County Borough Council (WBC) has failed to provide a clear, justifiable planning-related reason for the refusal of planning permission.

“It is illogical and inconsistent for WBC to refuse permission on the basis that it deems the access road (Penley Hall Drive) to be inconvenient or unsafe whilst taking no action to rectify this despite being in a position to do so and the same road constituting the sole access to over 100 other homes.

“It is the appellant’s position that the actions of WBC over the past 10 years are contrary to the position it has taken in respect of their application which, accordingly, cannot sensibly be justified.

“Aside from the sole reason for refusal, which has not been properly justified, the proposed development is deemed to be acceptable in both local and national planning policy terms.

“WBC has behaved unreasonably in relation to its consideration of this application and the appellants now have no option but to proceed with an appeal.”

The Leader:

Plans were first entered by the applicants in September 2018, but were rejected by the council two months later because of the impact on the countryside and the potential loss of trees.

Fears were also raised that it could harm a habitat which is home to bats and great crested newts.

Mr Sorrentino said his clients had amended the scheme accordingly in their latest submissions.

But the council refused permission again after raising highways issues.

Outlining its reason, the authority said: “In the absence of a bone fide safe and satisfactory pedestrian and vehicular access to the application site, the proposed development does not make adequate provision for the safety of all users of the highway contrary to policies GDP1(d) and T9 of the Wrexham Unitary Development Plan.”

The appeal will be considered by an inspector appointed by the Welsh Government at a later date.