Plans for holiday park refused, casting doubt on future development at former rugby club site, say planning bosses

A “significant” future development at a former rugby club site looks unlikely after plans for a holiday park were refused, planning bosses believe.
Last month plans for 44 holiday lodges at the former Rhyl Rugby Club site in Rhuddlan were rejected by the Welsh Government.
The proposal included plans for a bunkhouse, restaurant, café, shop and a cycle-hire office at the site off Waen Road.
North Wales Construction Ltd submitted the application, claiming it would create 30 full-time permanent jobs as well as construction jobs.
But the application was called in for determination by the Welsh Government, before being rejected.
Denbighshire County Council had already recommended the scheme should be refused.
And now council planning officers believe any major development at the site is unlikely, after the “damning decision” on the proposal.
During a planning committee meeting at Denbighshire Council’s HQ in Ruthin, Cllr Merfyn Parry asked planning officers if another application could come in in the future.
Planning officer Paul Griffin said he believed it was unlikely that, in light of the recent decision, any future application would be passed.
“I think it is one of those situations where you can never say never, but if you look at the scale of this proposal and the reasoning the Welsh Government inspectorate came up with, they are pretty damning for anything of significant scale in that location,” he said.
“The lack of non-car travel, etc, the loss of agricultural land, etc, these are all fundamental principles of development that I think that whatever comes back on that site, if anything would make a reasonable contribution, would fall foul over the policies, so I think that, never say never, but this is quite a damning decision for that site.”
Climate change minister Julie James refused the application in August, following a report by planning inspector Siân Worden, who had recommended the holiday park plan for refusal. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​