Testun llawn:
I write object to another food shop or supermarket as part of this new development. The village is adequately served by three food shops. Londis, Co-op and Lifestyle which includes the Post Office. Another food shop will be most harmful to well established businesses. Lidl are coming to Llanmaes and this will be detrimental enough to St Athan village food retailers. Yet another food shop at the Church Farm development will be unwelcome competition which would probably lead to the existing food shops becoming unsustainable with a loss of livelihoods and job losses. Following the last budget, small to medium retail enterprise locally and across the UK is struggling to survive due to the national insurance rate increases and rises in business taxes, especially hospitality. These small businesses need room to breathe, give them some air and the headroom to keep trading. Londis has been there for some 70 years.
Please scrap plans for another food shop and allow existing struggling businesses to enjoy a much needed trading boost from a housing expansion. Please consider a change of intended use, a good sized DIY store would be far more beneficial as currently nothing exists in the mid vale, the nearest being B&Q in Cardiff Culverhouse or Bridgend. This would draw customers from St Athan, Boverton, Llantwit, Cowbridge, Rhoose, Barry and more rural areas. As a resident of 67 years, I assure you this would be most welcome, especially for the 1000 plus new residents of the two new housing developments keen on improving their new homes. Perhaps B&Q would be interested in a satellite store between their two main retail units. I trust you will agree, this makes perfect sense !
A point to consider. The old RAF married quarters along Eglwys Brewis road, the old RAF east camp officers quarters, the married quarters we know as Lego Land and the new Parc Ferm Wen development, I would guess, all together total around 1000 houses and there is no shop and I've never heard any demand for one ! There was a Spar on the corner near the new roundabout on Cowbridge Rd but that was demolished years ago.
Another sensible option to consider is a garage for automotive repairs and MOT station. The last village garage was demolished and cleared to make way for the Co-op. If villagers need anything doing to ourcars we have to travel to Llantwit or Barry. With potentially another 1000 plus car owners moving into the two new developments, this would be another welcome facility in the village and is worthy of serious consideration as it would be far more beneficial than an unnecessary food shop.
