COUNCILLORS have given the green light to plans to build more than 20 homes on the site of an abandoned road widening project.
About 30 vacant houses at Aston Mead were demolished after proposals to turn a section of the A494 into a seven-lane ‘super-highway’ failed.
The highly controversial scheme was scrapped in 2007 but residents had already been rehoused and the properties were flattened in 2009 with the land standing empty since.
Flintshire Council planning committee members yesterday gave an application from Pennaf Housing Group to build 21 two, three and four bedroomed homes on the site.
Working in partnership with the local authority and the Welsh Government, the housing group says the new homes will be affordable, eco-friendly and targeted at first-time buyers.
Gillian Bentley, a nearby resident, told councillors she “strongly objected” to the planned site access and urged the committee to reject the application.
She said the proposed access would create road safety problems and lead to an increase in accidents.
But community councillor Judith Hough said: “I have been asked by 99 percent of other residents to say there is no objection.
“We look forward to the revitilisation.”
Aston councillor George Hardcastle said he sympathised with Ms Bentley but he was in favour of the application.
“We have looked at every possible way of accessing the site but unfortunately this is the only one we have got,” he said.
Helen Brown, Aston councillor and executive member for housing, also spoke in support of the plans.
Planning officer Glyn Jones said there were no other alternatives for access. “All other options were looked at and for various reasons were discounted,” he said.
Work on widening the A494 had been due to start in 2007 but residents mounted a campaign against the scheme and a public inquiry was held.
The project was rejected by planning inspectors and the Welsh Assembly Government announced it had been scrapped in 2008.