Are wireframes appropriate for requirements documentation?

The design, development, and testing folks are having a conversation at the moment about requirements.

Part of the conversation is about the purpose and use of wireframes. Our change analyst is strongly opposed to using wireframes as part of the requirements for either development or testing. They are to be used for "additional information" only when necessary - "something to refer to" for clarity.

In short: use written requirements, not visual.

Should wireframes be used as part of the requirements-gathering and documentation process?

Have any of you ever worked on a team where wireframes were the primary requirements doc for development and/or testing?

Edit: I do have a bias in favour of using wireframes as formal requirements documentation. I spent a couple of years in a setting where they were the sole form of documenting requirements - development did not start until the product owners (Agile setting) signed off on the wireframes. Very efficient in that setting.