PLANS to build houses on the site of a hospital where Polish ex-servicemen were cared for after World War Two have been resubmitted after previously being refused.

An application was first entered to develop part of the Penley Polish Hospital site in September 2018.

The scheme was rejected by Wrexham Council two months later because of its impact on the countryside and the potential loss of trees.

There were also concerns it could harm a habitat which is home to bats and great crested newts.

The developers have now re-entered the proposals which could see nine houses constructed in place of a number of existing buildings at Penley Hall Drive that are said to be in a state of disrepair.

In their application, they said: “The site is part of the number three Polish Hospital where some buildings still stand.

“These remaining buildings formed only part of the Polish hospital on the Penley Hall land, together with nine buildings on the field to the east of the site, and a further ten buildings on the same field to the south east.

“The main buildings which still stand are of brick construction with asbestos cement sheet pitched roofs.

“All are in varying states of disrepair, and vary from average to poor in condition.

“We believe that on balance the development of this brownfield site is justified due to an improved outlook from the recently completed housing adjacent rather than the current derelict storage units.”

The hospital, which sits in the village of Penley on the outskirts of Wrexham, was founded in 1946 after a decree was issued by Winston Churchill.

In the early 1950s it was home to more than 2,000 patients and staff.

Some of the original hospital buildings have been demolished and replaced by the more modern Penley Community Hospital, which is run by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and has eight individual rooms.

The resubmission will be considered by the council at a later date.