Challenge to council leader - talk is cheap, it's time to open up the Nine-Acre Field

Wrexham council's leader has been challenged to act on his promise to open up the Nine-Acre Field in the town.

Councillor Becca Martin, Plaid Cymru's councillor for Acton and Maesydre ward, said she was disappointed that council leader Mark Pritchard and his Tory-independent coalition had not updated their promises from last year.

She said: "It's now nine months since the planning application for a new school on the site was rejected by the planning committee. It's seven months since the ruling Tory-independent coalition made a commitment to protecting Nine Acre Field as a green space via an article on Wrexham.com. Back in October the council leader, Mark Pritchard, stated 'we propose to take a report to the Executive Board later this year with our plans to support and build on what we have achieved over a number of years protecting open spaces.' Later this year was in 2022. So why are we still not seeing any movement? ‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‌

"I have contacted the leader of the council directly three times asking for the field to be opened to the public and for updates that I can pass on to residents. I've had very little in the way of response back from him other than an inference that the responsibilities lie with officers. Do I need to remind him that it was he and the ruling coalition that publicly made these promises through the media that they now seem unable to keep?

"Residents have been left in limbo for far too long now without answers and it's our duty as a council to work with them and for them to provide amenities. In an area where there is a deficit of green space, keeping such an area behind a locked gate for so long without any proper reasoning is unfair and unacceptable. 

"It's time to let the children play, it is time to let the dogs walk, activities to flourish. It’s time to open up this space to residents who bring it alive with activity once again."