People can have a say on Denbighshire development

Jun 4 2008 by Martin Williams, Rhyl Visitor

THOUSANDS of properties will be built across Denbighshire between now and 2021. South Rhyl has been earmarked for up to 2,000 houses and 30-40 hectares of employment land, while Bodelwyddan and St Asaph are also to be extended with new roads and up to 2,400 homes erected in the next 13 years.

The entire area will be transformed, so what can we do to make sure it changes for the better? How can we have our say?

Well, Denbighshire County Council is holding a series of consultation events across the region this month, giving Visitor readers the chance to air their views on how the county’s landscape should be modified.

The Local Development Plan (LDP) is available to look at in libraries or on the council’s website from last Monday (June 2), and Jonathan Cawley, Policy, Research and Information Manager, is confident of positive feedback.

“We have arranged the roadshows to engage with as many communities as possible and will be providing two months for people to submit written responses as part of the consultation,” said Mr Cawley.

“These roadshows will be the perfect opportunity for those interested in future developments in Denbighshire to come along and see where new housing, employment, recreation and community facilities are likely to be created in the county.

“This is the first stage of the consultation process and we want to hear your views on the key issues facing the county and how much housing and employment land is actually needed.

“People are not restricted to attend shows in their area – they can attend any of our roadshows across the county and we are particularly delighted to have arranged a number of them in the north of the county where the greatest population can be found and where the potential three key strategic development sites could be located.

“We have already heard about some misconceptions about the Local Development Plan. These roadshows will give the council a chance to clarify some general misunderstandings about the process, and those involved in producing the LDP will be on hand to provide professional advice and information to residents.”

The LDP must provide an adequate supply of development land to meet the county’s needs – including guiding where new housing and community facilities are likely to be built until 2021.

It will also be used to decide what developments are granted planning permission.

A choice of three Key Strategic Sites for development have been identified at Rhyl, Bodelwyddan and St Asaph, with five other areas of lower growth – Prestatyn, Rhuallt, Corwen, Ruthin and Denbigh.

And there are eight identified key issues facing the county:

Need to provide more housing, including affordable housing for local needs to meet the predicted growth in the population

Need for more growth in rural areas to sustain facilities and provide homes for local people

Need to provide serviced employment land to improve the county’s economic prosperity. Build on the success of the St Asaph Business Park

Need to improve Rhyl’s retail offer and support the role of other town and village centres

Access to transport – away from the coast and A55 corridor both public and private transport networks are relatively poor. Also need to encourage walking and cycling in all new developments

Infrastructure improvements needed across the county, such as road, sewerage and waste management facilities, more open space and community facilities

Need to protect and enhance the high quality built and natural environment in Denbighshire

Need to manage flood risk and ensure that new developments do not increase flood risk

The LDP roadshows will take place at the following locations:

l Friday (June 6) – Prestatyn Conference Room, T Nant council offices from 2pm-8pm

l Saturday (June 7) – Rhyl Town Hall from 9am-12pm

l Monday (June 9) – St Asaph Dean’s Library from 2pm-8pm

l Tuesday (June 10) – St Asaph Dean’s Library from 2pm-8pm

l Thursday (June 12) – Bodelwyddan Community Centre from 3pm-8pm

l Friday (June 13) – Bodelwyddan Community Centre from 2pm-8pm

l Monday (June 16) – Ruthin County Hall from 2pm-8pm

l Tuesday (June 17) – Denbigh Town Hall from 2pm-8pm

l Wednesday (June 18) – Corwen Pavilion from 2pm-8pm

l Thursday (June 19) – Llangollen Town Hall from 2pm-8pm

l Friday (June 20) – Rhuddlan Community Centre from 2pm-8pm

l Monday (June 23) – Rhyl Town Hall from 2pm-8pm

People can access information on the Denbighshire website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/ldp or visit their local library, One Stop Shop or council offices to view copies.

The deadline for submitting written comments to the document is August 1 at 5pm. Responses should be sent to: Local Development Plan Consultation, Denbighshire County Council, Trem Clwyd, Ruthin, LL15 1QA, by fax: 01824 708039 or by e-mail: ldp@denbighshire.gov.uk.