Ryan Reynolds embroiled in 'brutal' row over plan for Wrexham's next steps
Wrexham are looking to build a new training facility for their academy stars but Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been confronted by frustrated locals with planning permission yet to be granted
by Samuel Meade · The MirrorWrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have found themselves involved in a planning row as they look to build a new training centre for the club’s young stars.
The two Hollywood stars are eyeing a multi-million pound development at Darland High School in the Wrexham village of Rossett, which will include a base for the academy stars of the League One side. Those plans though have led to anger from locals after some construction work started before planning permission was granted.
Neighbours have taken aim the scale and the “brutal” optics of the scheme, which would see two buildings and two shipping containers put up on an area of green land. If approved, the academy facilities will include changing rooms, offices, meeting rooms, a medical room and a gym.
A decision on the planning application is due to be made next week, with residents raising further concerns over increased noise, traffic and light pollution.
Nine letters of objection submitted to Wrexham Council have been summarised and state: “The brutal commercial and industrial appearance is not in keeping with the proposed location within the green wedge. The development goes against planning policy advice in regards to the green wedge.
“The school will lose the use of some athletic practice areas as a result of the proposal. The development is retrospective and the council should have made them stop work until the application was determined. The development brings no benefit to the Rossett community.”
Reynolds and McElhenney have previously aired their frustration with the planning processes in the UK. They've had to make do with delays to proposals to build a new 5,500-seater Kop stand at the Racecourse Ground.
In an interview with American entertainment website Collider in April, Reynolds said: “I think the thick buttress of bureaucracy is the biggest problem. In Wales, it really is a lot of red tape, and it's just sort of figuring out ways to tick all those boxes and make sure that every single bureaucrat is happy."
McElhenney added: “It is definitely a comedic point of consternation in the show how often we're running up against bureaucracy. It's a lot harder to build in the UK than, I found, almost anywhere else in the world.”
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