Wrexham agrees 'common sense' plan with Welsh government after LDP battle
The council previously won its Supreme Court battle with the Welsh Government over the adoption of the Local Development Plan (LDP)
Wrexham Council leader Cllr Mark Pritchard
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service )
Wrexham Council has reached an agreement with the Welsh Government to dodge planning turmoil.
The council, following its win in the Supreme Court clash over the implementation of the Local Development Plan (LDP), was due to revert to the outdated Unitary Development Plan (UDP), enabling planning officials and councillors to retain their authority to deny applications and fulfil obligations tied to large housing projects such as delivering playgrounds, shops, and schools.
However, there's a legislative twist on the horizon as next week will see the Senedd deliberate over the Legislation (Procedure, Publication and Repeals) (Wales) Bill, which contemplates axing all antiquated UDPs.
For Wrexham, without a standing LDP, this would obliterate any formal legal structure for overseeing development, which could lead to widespread planning disorder and compel the council to substantiate every solitary planning rejection on the grounds of 'material planning considerations'.
Cllr Mark Pritchard, leader of Wrexham Council, said a compromise has been reached.
"There's been a commitment from the Welsh Government that that won't happen," he said.
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"There'll be an amendment to the upcoming legislation which will allow the UDP in Wrexham to stand."
In expressing his gratitude for the Welsh Government's recent actions, the councillor stated: "I'd like to thank the Welsh Government for taking a common sense approach. It tells me that they're genuinely working with us, not against us. I do believe there is a way forward here for the betterment of Wrexham."
Following a legal fight that escalated through the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, last month the Welsh Government ultimately relinquished its legal challenge to Wrexham Council's rejection of the new Local Development Plan (LDP).
However, this victory for LDP opponents, including Plaid Cymru Cllr Marc Jones, meant reverting temporarily to the older, superseded Unitary Development Plan (UDP), as a new, agreeable plan has yet to be ratified.
Cllr Jones emphasised the objective of collaborating closely with the Welsh Government, noting: "We're hoping to work in true partnership with Welsh Government to resolve the issue," He also reflected on his personal experience, saying, "I felt I was pushed into a corner by what went on here, I was very uncomfortable with it but we have to move on."
The councillor recounted the emotional toll of the dispute: "I'm just disappointed that we had to go through all that because it was very painful."
He highlighted the drastic implications the situation held for him personally: "I put a lot on the line here – if we had lost, I'd have had to step down. It became about more than the LDP, it became about democracy, freedom of speech and what we can say in that chamber."
Cllr Jones touched on the principle of upholding democratic standards, concluding with a historical perspective: "I pushed it only as much as I felt we needed to. Look at the standards on the wall of the council chamber. The Dunkirk standards are there. As we mark 80 years since VE Day, people from Wrexham and across this country – across the world – lost their lives for me and anybody in every chamber to have freedom of speech and freedom to exercise democratic process.
"You can't be threatened that you will go to jail or that there will be legal prosecutions or a cost put against your house for exercising your right as an elected member to vote. You have three options – to support, to vote against or to abstain.
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"But I'm a realist, we now have to find a solution and we will find a solution. I do believe the Welsh Government are prepared to work with us and work alongside us and that's good news for me. Those dark days are behind us."
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