Cyngor Bro Morgannwg
Vale of Glamorgan Council

For the reasons set out above, the allocation of the site at Llangan for Gypsy and Traveller pitches is not justified and is inconsistent with the Council’s own policy framework, previous legal commitments given in relation to the land, Welsh Government guidance and national planning policy.

The site should therefore be removed from the RLDP and alternative sites identified which better meet the criteria set out in the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment and Policy MD18.

New site grants are available and costs of facilitating an alternative site should not be a material planning consideration.

The proposed allocation of the Penllyn Glebe site disregards the agreement reached in 2017 between Llangan Action Group, Llangan Community Council and the traveller family occupying the site, for vacation of the site and subsequent lease to Llangan Community Council for community use.
Further, the Council is bound by an undertaking given in 1996, pursuant to Judicial Review proceedings, to use its best endeavours to achieve vacant possession and return the site to agricultural use. The residents have a legitimate expectation that this undertaking be complied with and the aforementioned agreement which took place in 2017 gave the residents the long-awaited assurance that the undertaking would be discharged.
Notwithstanding the above, a host of reasons exist which render the site unsuitable for the proposed use, added to which the proposal does not meet the criteria of the Vale of Glamorgan Council (“the Council”) for a gypsy and travellers site.
Set out below are the reasons why the site fails to meet the Council’s own criteria, t/w further issues which demonstrate the inadequacy of the site for the proposed use:
Access to the site is via a single file traffic lane of 2.5m width. The recommended access width for emergency vehicles is 3.7m Increased capacity would further frustrate the manoeuvrability of such vehicles which raises safety concerns that would be compounded by increased capacity.
The topography of the land in question renders it unsuitable for residential use. The site is situate on low-lying land which gives rise to a multiplicity of issues. There is a propensity for flooding which is exacerbated by the poor drainage, as reflected in the name of lane - historically known as “Waterston” or “Watery Lane”. As a consequence, the site is damp and blanketed in a dense mist which gives rise to health issues that have been previously communicated to the Council.
As such, the proposal is contrary to the RLDP objective to:

“Ensure that all new development and infrastructure is resilient to future impacts arising from Climate Change. Direct development away from areas prone to flood risk …”

There is no public transport serving Llangan. The nearest bus service is 1.7 miles away on the A48 and the nearest railway stations are in Bridgend, approx 4.5 miles, and Llantwit Major, being 5 miles away.
This is compounded by unsafe pedestrian access. Llangan is known as an isolated rural village with narrow, unlit lanes which would not accommodate pavements. The lane adjacent the lane accessing the site is particularly dangerous in that children cannot walk or cycle to school; the only transport option being via car. Recent representations by National Grid to the Council concerning street lighting in the village met with the response that the deliverability of such would only be considered if petitioned by residents. Development in such an area is contrary to the Council’s Active Travel policies and could not comply with, inter alia, the WG’s transport and sustainability policies which actively encourage the use of public transport.
The proposals for the site go against the Council’s own objective to reduce the need for travel for Vale of Glamorgan residents to meet their day-to-day needs as set out below.
The site is not reasonably accessible to public facilities, such as shops and community services and would not meet, eg day-to-day medical requirements, which are accessible in Cowbridge, some 7.5km from the site.
The site has no mains drainage and is served by a cesspit, the emptying costs of which are disproportionately high and would, arguably, be unaffordable. Connection to mains drainage is frequently not an option considered by WW, in rural locations, given costs/benefits.
The standards required for social housing are equally applicable to accommodation for the Gypsy and Traveller community and the site does not meet these standards.
The proposed site, given its location within a Special Landscape Area and adjacent Llangan Conservation Area, is contrary to the RLDP background paper, which acknowledges the importance of protecting views and landscape character within these areas.
Inclusion of the site in the RLDP is not in accordance with the Council’s objective to protect and enhance the Council’s historic, built and natural environment.
The RLDP objectives to mitigate the adverse affect of climate change and to promote community facilities would have been served, had the Council followed the assurance given to lease the land to Llangan Community Council, noting that the Council was aware of the Community Council’s intention to use the land for allotment purposes, in line with the successful allotment scheme in place in the neighbouring village of Treoes.