February 2012. Captain Francesco Schettino was still very much in the news, London hadn’t yet hosted the XXX Olympiad (remember all that pre-games pessimism turning into Super Saturday?.) Gotye ft Kimbra and DJ Fresh ft Rita Ora were swapping number 1 hits, Manchester City woke up. Nick Thingy was Deputy PM in a coalition government. Brexit? Not even termed. Not to mention Planning Policy Wales Edition 4. -a classic. The first digital only version I recall.

Planning Geeks will also recall Wrexham CBC withdrew its First Local Development Plan on the advice of the then Examining Planning Inspectors that same month.

LDP2 followed. Preferred Strategy 2016, Deposit Plan 2018, Examination Mid 2019 onwards. The phosphates issue from Jan 2021 cause nearly 2 years further delay. The Inspectors Binding Report in last month found the plan Sound. Adoption therefore should be a mere formality. After all, the Regulations say the Council must adopt the LDP within eight weeks of receipt of the recommendations and reasons given by the person appointed to carry out the examination unless otherwise agreed in writing by the National Assembly.

Yet last night, the Council didn’t do the “must” bit and resolved not to adopt the LDP. The stuff of planning nightmares, jungle drums, corridor whispers and social media shouts was realised.

The debate was passionate on all sides . Some interesting things stood out to me :

Views that much has changed in Wrexham since LDP2 and its evidence base was conceived and since the Council proceeded to deposit and Examine the LDP.
Civic ownership of the LDP was lacking. (Note its preparation stretched over 3 Council administrations)
No Plan is better than a bad plan.
Conversely, the Plan was better than no Plan. The Chairman of Planning Committee put it succinctly “No plan will ever please everyone”.

In the short term, the worst fears of most were probably realised. Nobody wins in the absence of an (uptodate) Development Plan. Decisions still have to made, about investment, infrastructure, housing, employment, local heatlh services and planning etc. Delayed or lost. Local control over decisions about what, where and how much development take place may now be lost, whether at appeal or other intervention. Public confidence in our imperfect planning system in Wales will be yet again tested.

I particularly feel for Officers who have worked diligently and professionally to prepare and steer the Plan through its myriad processes and hurdles. Morale must be at rock bottom today. Its not as if Wrexham has found it easy to resource its planning service either. Like a challenge? - I’m not sure the Planning Policy Manager position is filled. Could be fun.

What happens next? The LDP Regulations help no further as they don’t envisage non-adoption.

The Council could take a short pause then reconsider its decision if politics permit. There may (almost certainly will) be a challenge (or a threat of one), forcing it to make its decision again.

Could Welsh Government intervene? S.71 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 sets out the Assembly’s default power where it thinks that a local planning authority are failing or omitting to do anything it is necessary for them to do in connection with the preparation, revision or adoption of a local development plan. If exercised it requires Welsh Government to hold a further examination, publish a new report and empowers the Welsh Government to approve the LDP as a local development plan. But that is uncharted territory. The Ministers desire for every Council to have an up to date LDP may hold sway.

Todays News - (BBC Wales/North East Wales), the Daily Post etc) makes no mention of the decision. The expected promotion of Wrexham AFC back into the Football League after 15 years (about the same length of time since LDP1 was gestating) and £25m investment to develop the Kop and regenerate land around Racecourse ground and station captures the headlines.

Yet planning is integral to the success of the Racecourse, the club, the City and County and to delivering all it needs to protect and sustain it . A little of Hollywood’s current shine seemed to dim yesterday.