Cyngor Bro Morgannwg
Vale of Glamorgan Council

I understand there were originally six sites that were submitted for consideration as planning development land for inclusion in the LDP but all were rejected apart from the Bryn Melin site.
I personally consider that Bryn Mellin has many features just as negatively impactful as the other Cowbridge sites but was scored more suitable for inclusion in the development plan.
Bryn Mellin is in the Thaw Valley a designated Special Landscape Area which the Vale of Glamorgan should protect for the residents of Cowbridge – which is a key point in the Cowbridge Placemaking Plan.
The St Athan Road access proposed for the Bryn Melin site is highly dangerous. It is narrow with a severe slope and blind bend position right before access to the site. Pedestrians access to Cowbridge via this road is non existent and school children would have to be transported by car for safety reasons, even though both Primary and Secondary Schools are nearby.
The slope of the site is so severe - it exceeds the national Government PPW guidelines.
National Government Wales Transport Policy requires strict requirements for access to sites via routes with no pavements and restrictive widths. Windmill Lane is such a route fails to meet any of the criteria for providing sage access to pedestrians and cyclists – given that the residents of Windmill Lane need access by car and the lane is too narrow and has no pavement or significant lighting. PPW TAN18 references this fact.
Cowbridge town needs to protect the Thaw Valley which is a designated Special Landscape Area - PPW specifies that Greenfield sites and SLA’s should be protected and Brownfield sites should be prioritised above such sites for development.