Gresford gains new children’s nursery

LDRS – Rory Sheehan

GRESFORD is to gain a children’s nursery after Wrexham Council’s planning committee agreed change of use for the former village police station.

Earlier this year, a previous application for the proposed development on Chester Road was turned down on appeal by the Welsh Government’s planning inspector.

Reasons given by the inspector supported the council’s original refusal on highways concerns.

The police station had closed in July 2020 as it was being used less by officers and costing North Wales Police £12,000 a year to maintain.

This application stated that the development would create nursery spaces for 24 children aged up to 18 months, with eight members of staff, a reduction in the numbers proposed in the previous proposal.

It also stated that parking spaces would be created to the front of the property with a central access point onto Chester Road. No external or internal alterations were proposed to the premises.

The revised plans were recommended for approval by Wrexham Council’s planning department which felt the previous concerns about parking had been resolved.

Speaking at the planning meeting, Ruabon Cllr Dana Davies (Lab) backed the plans to add to the number of childcare places available in Wrexham.”

She said: “We do need more childcare provision in this county.”

But Hermitage Cllr Graham Rogers (Lab) said he still had concerns about parking and was sceptical about whether car sharing would happen in practice.

He said: “The report makes reference to car sharing which to me is a load of nonsense.

“You can’t tell people how to car share. There’ll be activities going on, on the main Chester Road, in and out of the entrance which to me is a safety concern.

“I will not be supporting the application.”

Chair of the planning committee, Holt Cllr Michel Morris (Lab) reminded members that a similar application had been approved on the same road going through Rossett so members needed to be “consistent”.

The committee approved the application.