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Cefn Fforest residents continue to be kept in the dark over a planning appeal for 300 homes.

Independent councillor Kevin Etheridge has criticised the Welsh Government for leaving residents in “limbo” for almost five years.

Persimmon Homes’ original application was presented to Caerphilly County Borough Council’s planning committee in October 2018. Since then it has been to the Welsh Government, the High Court and back, without a decision.

In April, Cllr Etheridge, who represents Blackwood, wrote to the Welsh Government to ask for a timeline on a decision.

Minister for climate change, Julie James, responded to Cllr Etheridge on Monday June 19.

In the letter, MS James said: “I understand the concerns of residents, however, at this stage I am unable to provide you with any further information on likely timescales for a decision. The Inspector’s report on the recovered appeal has been received by officials and is being actively considered.

“It would not be appropriate for me or any other of the Welsh Ministers to discuss a live recovered appeal, to do so could leave the Welsh Ministers open to potential action in the courts.”

Cllr Etheridge said he was left disappointed by the Minister’s response. He said: “I totally despair how they can sit on this for several months without making a decision, question needs to be asked why the delay.”

How did we get here?

The development of 300 homes on a greenfield site known as Grove Park, was recommended for approval by planning officers, but it was refused by planning committee members.

Developer Persimmon still wanted to build a mixture of two, three and four bedroom houses, including 75 affordable homes in the Blackwood ward. The housebuilding company appealed the committee’s decision.

The appeal went to the Welsh Government, and the Planning Inspectorate report recommended Persimmon’s plans be approved, but the then Minister for Housing and Local Government Julie James MS disagreed, and rejected the plans on October 21, 2020.

This went against the advice of the report and meant the case ended up at the High Court when Persimmon went to judicial review. It was a legal battle the Welsh Government decided wasn’t worth fighting and conceded defeat.

Therefore, the decision by Julie James MS was overturned by the courts, and the case has now been passed back to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) for redetermination.

“Uncaring approach”

Cllr Etheridge, who represents Blackwood, has previously said the Welsh Government has taken an “uncaring approach” to the situation. He added that Minister Julie James should resign from her role if plans were approved.

Roy Williams, who lives in Grove Park, has spoken against the application since it was first submitted.

In April, Mr Williams spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. He said: “Nothing has changed – not to the infastructure, not to the schools, not to the roads, since it was refused by the committee and the minister. What is democracy if elected councillors have said no and two years later here we are.

“If councillors or the housing minister can’t make the decision, why do we vote and why do we pay our taxes?”

Blackwood councillor Nigel Dix said: “The Minster’s previous reason for rejecting Persimmon’s appeal to build 300 houses on land outside the LDP are as poignant and relevant as ever – nothing has changed.

“Elected members and residents are hoping the Minister will show courage and consistency in the decision making process and reject Persimmon’s application. Caerphilly has numerous brownfield sites with a capacity to accommodate thousands of houses, which the minister has acknowledged in her previous reason for rejecting the application.”

Cllr Dix continued: “Our green fields are needed more than ever – the Welsh Government often proclaims it wants to protect our environment and it now has an opportunity to demonstrate that they actually mean what they say.

“The people will be watching.”

Redetermination progress so far

PEDW started the redetermination process on February 22, last year, and all interested parties – those who submitted representations previously or were involved with the inquiry – were given the opportunity to submit any further representations.

All representations were exchanged and final comments were made in April last year. This concluded the submissions of written evidence for the redetermination.

A Planning Inspector visited the site in May last year.