RESIDENTS in a Wrexham village have been told that “this is only the start” over plans to build a Gypsy and Traveller site.

Dozens of people attended a public meeting in Llay on Thursday, at which they were told how important it was for them to continue to have their say over the issue.

The Welsh Assembly Inspectorate will hold a pre-hearing in Wrexham Guildhall on June 25, where they will outline how the public examination of Wrexham Council’s Local Development Plan (LDP) will be carried out in September.

Russell Evans, chair of Llay Action Group, said the residents of the village were reaching “a critical time” in the LDP process as he outlined why he thinks the decision by the council to try and remove the green wedge status of the land off Pont y Capel Lane, was ultimately flawed.

Mr Evans said: “This is only the beginning of the fight, not the end. This is our first opportunity to address things directly with the Welsh Assembly.

“The residents of both Llay and Bradley have been brilliant with their support and solidarity against the proposal. The website analysis shows that of the 3,734 comments on the plan, 1,443 were about the Gypsy and Traveller sites, of which 743 were about Llay, which shows just how contentious they are.

“We put up a strong argument against the selection of Llay in the first consultation phase, both legal and environmental. I believe that together as a community, we showed that the Llay site as part of a Country Park and in the Green Wedge, was not suitable for any development.”

He added: “We must show the Welsh Assembly that our resolve has not weakened and we will continue to resist inclusion of Llay as a location for development of a Gypsy and Traveller site and also the removal of the Green Wedge status without valid reason or evidence of consultation.”

The meeting had been opened by Llay Community Council chairman Bryan Apsley, who reminded those who had indicated a desire to speak at the public examination that although they won’t lose that right if they don’t attend the pre-hearing meeting on June 25, their attendance in the public gallery would send out a message.

He said: “There was a bit of confusion as to whether you had to attend the pre-hearing meeting in order to be able to speak at the public examination, but that’s not the case.

“The only thing you have to do is confirm that you do intend to speak by Tuesday, June 11.”

Cllr Rob Walsh added his support to the continued battle to stop the development going ahead and said it was “still a long way from ever happening”.

He said: “The problem with the planning process is, it has no common sense.

“Common sense is chucked out of the window. On this issue, we don’t have to scratch our heads and wonder why it’s wrong. The information’s there in black and white.

“There have been plenty of examples of developments that have been refused or recommended to be refused because of the Green Wedge, so we can use that to show inconsistency in their arguments.”

The pre-hearing will take place at 12noon on Tuesday, June 25 in Wrexham Guildhall.