THREE new council houses are set to be built in Wrexham.
The council’s planning committee has granted permission to the authority to demolish almost a dozen of its garages at Derwent Crescent in Acton to make way for three dormer style bungalows.
Planning officer Matthew Phillips outlined the proposals to the committee and assured members garage tenants would be relocated.
He said: “They’re council garages and at present there are three tenants remaining although the housing authority is in the process of relocating those.”
Whilst in favour of the proposal ward member, Acton and Maesydre Cllr Corin Jarvis (Lab), asked the committee to consider the impact of the development on the surrounding residents who face a loss of parking space to make way for it.
She said: “I’m aware we’re in desperate need of more council houses being built in Wrexham and I’ve got to say I’m not against the application as a whole.
“I’m just concerned about the impact the build will have on the surrounding residents.
“In the run-up to this coming before you today me and (fellow ward member) Cllr Becca Martin (Plaid) have met with the residents and we have explored with officers ways in which we can minimise the issues and the impact the build will have on them specifically in relation to parking.”
Cllr Jarvis said that parking in the evenings is at a premium, adding that communal parking and on-plot parking were found to be unfeasible, and that private residents had been refused fencing.
She added: “I understand the area is not specifically allocated for their parking and residents don’t have the right to park there but due to the new housing legislation and regulations the new properties will have two car parking spaces per property.
“We have elderly and disabled residents who would have to walk a significant way to park on another street.”
Cllr Becca Martin echoed Cllr Jarvis’s comments, adding: “I thoroughly support the idea of more council houses in Wrexham.
“We need this across more sites, especially brown sites where we’re recycling the land, we really do need this.
“There are concerns over parking and there’s room across the road from this development to put parking spaces and I’m wondering if we could have that as part of this development so that those that are displaced from parking in this area do have somewhere else to park.”
Mr Phillips said he understood concerns but added that the space there is not currently allocated for residents parking.
He added that he would be happy to discuss broader parking issues in the area with colleagues in housing and the local members to try and find solutions.
The planning committee was unanimous in backing the development.
