ANGRY residents have hit out at plans for a massive housing development in their village.
Plans for 234 new homes on land at Wood Lane in Penyffordd have been submitted to Flintshire Council by developers Taylor Wimpey.
Residents say the development, part of Flintshire Council’s Unitary Development Plan (UDP), is too big, would create access problems and increase flood risk.
They also say the plans for recreational space included within the application should not be allowed.
Penyffordd councillor Cindy Hinds said: “We have to accept we have to have housing because of the UDP but I think the density is unbelievable for this village and I think there’s far too many houses in the application.
“We’ve got no doctor or clinic in the village and there will be highways problems with all those cars coming out by the butchers.
“I feel we need houses, especially for the young, but not as many as this. Residents are worried, they are writing with their objections to the planning department before it goes to committee.”
As part of planning policy, plans include the provision of play equipment and a football pitch on land locals call Wood Lane playing field.
But residents say this should not be allowed because the plans for the recreation land are the same as those agreed to by a previous developer, Belway Homes, when it built a development in the village in the 1990s.
Residents believe an additional playing field should be provided in order to comply with the planning conditions.
Penyffordd Football Club opposes the plans and says the village needs more recreational space.
The club’s 11 junior teams have to play at various other locations including Leeswood, Hope and Mold because there is not enough open space in the village.
Philip Barlow, the junior clubs’ secretary, said: “The football club objects to the Taylor Wimpey plan and has appointed planning consultants to investigate the application. This is our last ditch opportunity to save Penyffordd’s own local open space provision.”
Club chairman, Neil Connah, said: “Since news of this application came out the club has had numerous phone calls and complaints from parents of players outraged the applicant is trying to give us less than we are due in terms of recreational space by allocating land already linked to a previous development as its own open space provision.”
Chris Walsh, the club’s facilities officer, said: “The Flintshire Open Space Survey of 2005 states that Penyffordd should have 5.9 hectares of public open space but actually had less than one hectare.”
Penyffordd councillor David Williams said they had been left as a “commuter village”.
He said: “As far as I’m concerned we’ve been victims of development for the past 30 years with no investment in recreation or community amenities.”
A spokesman for Flintshire Council said: “We are currently assessing the application and the Public Open Spaces Provision will play an important role.”
A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey North West said: “Taylor Wimpey has worked closely with Flintshire Council in order to develop a scheme that will provide much needed housing, including 21 new affordable homes, to local residents.
“As part of the scheme Taylor Wimpey will also be making a significant financial contribution towards education at local schools and the provision of affordable housing in the wider area, and, due to its size, expects 50-70 construction jobs to be created.”