FLINTSHIRE councillors have supported allowing a major supermarket chain to find an alternative use for land once earmarked for a library.

The plot near the Saltney branch of Morrisons was originally set aside as part of a Section 106 (S106) planning agreement between the retailer and Flintshire Council when the store was first built in 2010.

The proposals later fell through because of the site’s size, proximity to underground cables supplying a substation and the high costs of developing the site, while separate plans for it to be transferred to Saltney Town Council did not move forward for similar reasons.

There had been hopes either a library, town council building or a medical facility would be built there, but the seven-year period for the scheme to be delivered has since elapsed and Morrisons wants to pursue other options for the land, which remains under its ownership.

The company recently launched an appeal over the local authority’s failure to decide whether to remove the obligation attached to the S106 legal agreement.

However, on Wednesday members of the council’s planning committee were asked to approve the deletion of the requirement, and did so almost unanimously.

Saltney councillor Veronica Gay sought to defer the planning committee's decision pending "imperative" further discussion over the issue with Morrisons.

She said: "Why would a S106 be put in place if we weren't going to deliver on, and I want to know why we haven't delivered on it.

"Saltney doesn't seem to be getting the support for the facilities it needs to support its residents, we seem to be at a loss again.

"Fellow Saltney councillor Richard Lloyd said: "It would have cost £3.5m to develop this land and when it was discussed whether the town council could take it over, obviously the town council doesn't have that sort of money.

"It was agreed at a town council meeting that the town council could not afford to take that sort of facility on and so no documents to change the S106 were ever completed, meaning Saltney Town Council has never been in a position to do anything with the land."

"Residents and myself are obviously very disappointed that no scheme was delivered but I'm hopeful that when Morrisons has control over the land that they may provide a facility which is of great benefit to the local community."