A Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd has urged the government to resist a controversial housing development on land near Blackwood.
On the floor of the Senedd, South Wales East MS Peredur Owen Griffiths raised Persimmon’s plans to construct 300 homes on fields around Heol y Cefn, Cefn Fforest, Bedwellty.
The Welsh Government refused planning permission for this development in 2020, but this decision was challenged at the High Court, which subsequently quashed the Government's decision.
Lee Waters, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, recently issued a letter giving notice to Persimmon that he is inviting representations on whether the inquiry should be reopened or not following the decision of the High Court.
During Business Questions, Peredur said: “Not only would I like this inquiry reopened, but I'd like the Government to review the current planning process with a view to tightening up procedures so that, when decisions are made to overturn planning applications, they are robust and have a stout defence behind them, ready for any legal challenge.
“My concern is that, if this development goes ahead without much of a fight, developers will be rubbing their hands with glee in the knowledge that Welsh Government refusal on matters of planning is merely a bump in the road to getting what they want eventually.”
Trefnydd Leslie Griffiths replied that she didn’t think the matter should have a government statement, but she said she would ask the Deputy Minister for Climate Change to write to Peredur if he thinks there is further information to provide.
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