Planning officers have been accused of a “lack of respect” for not contacting local councillors over a controversial care home scheme in Rhyl.

Denbighshire county councillor Brian Jones (Rhyl South East ward) made the barb at the authority’s planning committee meeting on Wednesday.

He was annoyed planning officers had not contacted local members including him about a controversial development at the former Sandy Lodge residential care home on Dyserth Road, Rhyl.

A planning application on behalf of Medirose Healthcare centres around building two extra rooms for what will be a “rehab facility”.

The same proposal was deferred by the authority’s planning committee last month, so other “applications in the pipeline” could be heard with it.

Locals have been campaigning against the change of use of the site from elderly residential care and a local Facebook group has registered more than 600 supporters.

During Wednesday’s meeting Cllr Jones again asked for a deferral, saying a site visit was desired by the planning committee and local residents, before launching into his broadside at planning officers.

He said: “Cllr Brian Blakeley will support me on this but we feel a lack of respect here from the officers.

“It was deferred at the last meeting and no officer had the common decency to speak to the local members about this application coming forward, within a month, when it’s a high-level issue on this Rhyl South East ward.

“There’s a lot of residents who are very upset about it and the officers chose in a month not to speak to the local members.

“That is going on record because it’s a very poor show.”

No officer chose to respond to Cllr Jones’ comments and the committee backed his call for the plans to be deferred for a second time, by 13 votes to four.

The full application, for the adaptation to include the extension of two additional bedrooms on the first floor, two fire escape stair enclosures and entrance canopy, will now be heard at a later date.

A petition opposing the move has also been set up and has almost 270 signatories.

Local MP James Davies has also raised questions about the scheme after local residents queried the suitability of the premises and the location, which is in a residential district of the seaside town.

On the Medirose website it explains the company “provides assessment, treatment and holistic services for adults with mental health issues”.

Despite changes to the types of residents who would be treated at the site, the owners do not need to apply for a change of use.

Planning documents acknowledged the agent was “aware of concerns locally, including those raised by local county councillors, whom they have engaged with”.