Cyngor Bro Morgannwg
Vale of Glamorgan Council

The only change that I think will have any reasonable positive impact would be to scrap the plans to include this site in the DRLDP.

• The proposed development to the north of Dinas Powys requires the reduction in the green wedge between Dinas Powys and Llandough. This will have a significant impact on the perception of Dinas Powys as a distinct village.
• The massive expansion of Llandough hospital has already encroached upon Dinas Powys, thus reducing the separation of the village.
• Dinas Powys has a wonderful and proud village identity, as applauded on Derek Brockway’s Weatherman Walking programme in 2022. These developments will lose this wonderful village identity. The concern is that everything from Llandough, Dinas Powys and Barry will be seen as just a part of wider Cardiff.
• A green wedge should mean something and not be altered just to suit your planning or development needs. It also has to be more than just a field or two to properly separate our villages and towns.
• Cardiff Road in Dinas Powys is already overly congested with traffic coming both from Dinas and through from Barry.
• The stretch by the bus lane is almost always queuing, due to the bottleneck of the junction with Redlands Road.
• The development north of Dinas Powys will create another choke point on this already busy road. Traffic lights will not help this situation, as it will simply create further congestion, affecting both northbound and southbound traffic.
• The statement below when referencing the access to the site, states 'Creation of a new signalised junction on to the A4055 Cardiff Road to serve as the primary access with a secondary access closer for emergencies as well as pedestrians and cycling'. Does this mean that the secondary access will only be for emergency vehicles or for 'emergencies', which is quite different and will most likely be the main point of entry / exit for those wishing to drive south through Dinas Powys. The legend on the map simply states 'Secondary vehicular access', which is ambiguous and open to interpretation. If the secondary access is open to all vehicles, it will most likely be just as much used as the primary access route by the residents.
• The local GP services are at capacity, especially they have had to take on capacity from another surgery in Penarth that closed.
• Both the local primary school in Dinas Powys and St Cyres secondary school are oversubscribed. When St Cyres was rebuilt, it did not allow for any extra capacity but was actually lower capacity than previously available. It is difficult to understand how the village can absorb these new homes without detriment to all its residents.
• The emergency services in this area are already at capacity, shown recently when my mother had to wait for 5 hours for an ambulance, whilst lying on her bathroom floor with a broken hip. These developments will put further undue strain on these services.
• Dinas Powys is already at risk of flooding. Many houses were flooded in December 2020 and no significant measures have since been implemented to relieve these householders of further risk.
• Developing the land north of Dinas Powys will remove the ability of the fields to absorb rainwater, resulting in further run-off of water into the Eastbrook river, which can only exacerbate the risk of flooding downstream.
• Both developments would remove key areas of countryside with the associated loss of habitat for wildlife.
• My wife and I live adjacent to the land north of Dinas Powys and frequently see bats and hear owls together with many varieties of birds nesting or just resting in the trees. The Vale of Glamorgan Tree Strategy 2024-2039 discussed the need for tree canopy and these developments would be contrary to the principles in the Tree Strategy. There are mature trees throughout the area.
• I cannot understand how the development of this site could have biodiversity benefits when the development is bound to have a negative effect on the treeline and the wildlife it sustains, particularly the huge oak tree neighbouring 40 Georges Row. If this tree is to remain, the area nearby must be left undisturbed so as to protect its roots. Equally its extensive branches could be of danger to any houses built underneath it.
• I understand that even though it was not included in the plans displayed in the consultation meeting in Murchfield Community Centre on the 6th February, the council is proposing to use the private lane between 26 and 28 Georges Row as part of the active travel plan. This is unacceptable! You cannot have a meaningful consultation when you do not disclose details such as this! The area behind the houses of 28-40 Georges Row is a private area for the residents and owners of the garages. The danger will be that people living on the new estate will not want to drive through their estate but will either try parking in the private area by the garages or on Georges Row, which is already at capacity having cars from houses on Cardiff Road where they do not have their own parking available. I believe it will also lead to anti-social behaviour, as evidenced in Barry back lanes, which have now had to be gated due to such behaviour. Our back gardens, are currently open with low fences and gates, but we will feel the need to change this with the potential volume of foot and cycle traffic going very near them. I am also concerned that people with undesirable intentions will simply want to hang around the lane and our garages.