A DEVELOPER accused of turning a meadow into a ‘rubbish tip’ has launched an appeal against an enforcement notice requiring him to tidy it up.

Wrexham Council decided to take action against Gurjit Mahal of Taylor Reed Homes because of waste material and an outbuilding left on land at Eatonfield Close in Bettisfield.

The company previously demolished the nearby Nag’s Head pub and created four houses, but the land in question does not form part of the site.

While the local authority said it tolerated the temporary site office during the construction phase, it decided the prolonged presence of the structure and dumping of building materials was a breach of planning rules and ordered him to remove them in May.

A recent bid to build houses there was also refused by the council.

However, Mr Mahal has now launched an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate after claiming he intends to put forward a revised housing application in the near future.

In the appeal documents, he accused the council of wasting his time.

He said: “Both Natural Resources Wales and planning officers are aware that the site hut has been retained on site as an extensive flood risk survey has been conducted and its results are now being collated prior to an amended scheme that will be submitted in the following weeks.

“The deposit of materials has also not taken place as I have already informed both very learned and unbiased and totally professional parties that the deposit of material is the result of the removal and reinstatement of the public highway that was part of the planning conditions.

“The spoil has been retained as it will provide the base for the roadway into the site.

“This a complete waste of everyone’s time and effort as the only rational explanation for this can only be that these people have to pretend to do something constructive every once in a while.”

In response, officers from Wrexham Council said the appeal site does not currently benefit from planning approval and the materials should not be kept there.

They added that there are no current applications under consideration for the land and because of ecology and drainage issues, any future development would not necessarily be supported.

They asked for the appeal to be dismissed and for the enforcement notice to be upheld.

The action taken by the local authority has also received the support of people living in the village, which sits near the Shropshire border.

Several residents have written to the Planning Inspectorate to criticise Mr Mahal for the condition the land has been left in, including Paul Griffiths whose home backs onto it.

In his letter, he said: “I wish to strongly object to the siting of an outbuilding and deposit of materials and rubbish on the land directly behind my property.

“It is unsightly and may pose a danger to children in the area.

“The site has been left like this for a number of years now.

“I moved to Bettisfield over 20 years ago as it’s a well kept village, where everyone takes pride in their property, but since Taylor Reed Homes took over the beautiful meadow at the rear of my house it has been transformed into a rubbish tip.”

The appeal will be decided by a planning inspector appointed by the Welsh Government in the near future.