Testun llawn:
Deposit Plan Consultation RLDP 2021 - 2036
Objections to the Inclusion of Candidate Site - ID 370 Bryn Melin, Cowbridge in the RLDP
2021 -2036
Summary of Objections
My objections are detailed in full below this summary.
1. The site has unsafe access for vehicles, pedestrians & cyclists – three different areas of concern are St Athan Road, Windmill Lane & Bessant Close (Brookfield Park).
2. Planning applications have been refused in the past with the same reasons for refusal relevant today.
3. Special Landscape Area. The site is visible from a wide area. Building houses on this site will have a detrimental impact visually on a very pretty area.
4. Inconsistencies with excluding other Cowbridge sites from the RLDP, the reasons for their exclusion should also apply to this site.
1a. Access – Road Safety – St Athan Road – Significance of the site to the area
According to the planning application 2022/00958/FUL, “The horizontal geometry of St Athan Road
in the immediate vicinity of the site is also challenging with an almost 90 degree bend in the road on the frontage of the site access.”
The right turn from Cowbridge into the candidate site would be very dangerous for the driver or cyclist as the bend obscures their view of the road ahead (see photograph 4 below).
Similarly turning right from the candidate site onto St Athan Road will also be blind and dangerous (see photograph 3 below) there is also another sharp bend (about 50m away) further up the St Athan Road towards Cowbridge. Large vehicles need to cross over the double white lines to drive around this other bend (see photographs 1,2 & 5 below).
The St Athan Road is particularly dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, there are no pavements or street lighting on this road, increased traffic from the candidate site will only make the road more dangerous for everyone regardless of their mode of transport.
Access is dangerous and additional traffic from this site would increase congestion along St Athan Road at the traffic lights in Cowbridge and by the school on the Aberthin Road.
1b. Access – Road Safety – Windmill Lane – Significance of the site to the area
Windmill Lane is a quiet, private, unadopted narrow lane with no pavement and only two small street lights, there is a pedestrian right of way along the lane but cycling (other than for residents or their visitors) is not permitted.
Many residents of the lane have to reverse out of their drives into it, even driving forward from your drive means you have to be very careful. It will be very dangerous and serious accidents will occur if cyclists from the candidate site are allowed to cycle up and down the lane. The motorist will more than likely be blamed for the accident despite the actions of the cyclist (speed, not concentrating etc).
Windmill Lane slopes down to Broadway from the field (Bryn Melin site) and cyclists can build up a considerable speed over this distance. The lane also narrows towards Broadway and there is no room for a car and bike to pass each other safely without one stopping (see photographs below). Also turning left into Windmill Lane from Broadway a motorist is unable to see a car or bike on this bottom
stretch of the lane until they have turned into it (see photograph below -Refer to attached PDF )
There is no safe access for pedestrians or cyclists due to the lack of a pavement or adequate street lighting. This also applies to the proposed access to / from Bessant Close (Brookfield Drive).
2. Refused Planning Applications in the past
Planning permission for this site has been refused in the past. Please see below for details of the failed application in 1980: Enquiry held on 3-6 June 1980 at the Duke of Wellington Hotel in Cowbridge Appeal by Northway Bros and the Land Authority for Wales against the refusal to allow residential development in the land adjoining St Athan Road, South of Brookfield Park
Reasons for the refusal of planning permission are :-
1. The proposal would result in an undesirable and conspicuous extension to the built up area of Cowbridge southwards into the attractive open countryside comprising the Upper Thaw valley which area has been identified as being of special landscape character in the structure plan.
2. The proximity of the site the existing sewage works would result in an unsatisfactory form of development by virtue of the smell affecting the amenities of the site.
3. The scale of the development would increase the strain on existing facilities in the area
4. The proposal is located in a ‘white area” on the Cowbridge Town map where it is the policy of the local planning authority that in order to protect the countryside, no development shall take place other than in the interests of agriculture, forestry or the working of minerals.
The proposal is premature to the preparation of a local plan for Cowbridge (and district) and approval of ad hoc developments at this time would substantially prejudice the implementation of such a plan.
3. Special Landscape Area
The views from the public footpath through the middle of the field (Candidate site 370) from Windmill Lane to St Athan Road at present are of the open countryside of the neighbouring Upper & Lower Thaw Valley (Special Landscape Area) and beyond. Also the views from the surrounding area back towards the site would be an unpleasant one of houses rather than of the existing greenfield site with grazing sheep and cows.
This field used to be designated a Special Landscape Area but that was removed presumably to enable
the field to be included in the original Local Development Plan. If this field wasn’t a candidate site it would still be designated as a Special Landscape Area. In addition allowing this site in the RLDP will have an adverse impact on the adjacent Special Landscape Area.
4. Inconsistency
Other candidate sites in Cowbridge will not be included in the RLDP for reasons that are all also applicable to this candidate site. This shows inconsistency. This site (370) appears to be the only site in the Rural Vale listed in the Candidate Site Stage 2 Assessment Register (Background Paper – BP18A) under “Sites suitable for further consideration”.
All the other 8 candidate sites in Cowbridge and Llanblethian are listed in this document under “Not
suitable for further consideration”.
The following “Conclusions at Preferred Strategy Stage” in Background Paper – BP18A for five of these sites are listed as:
1. The site would represent unacceptable intrusion in to the open countryside. The site is located on the outskirts of Cowbridge and not conveniently situated for walking, cycling and public transport accessibility. Site ID 438 Land to the South of Church Rd, Llanblethian.
2. The site would represent unacceptable intrusion in to the open countryside. Development is likely to result in a substantial change in character and/or significant adverse effects on landscape character and visual amenity. Site ID 455 Land North of Primrose Hill
3. The development of this site would be an arbitrary incursion into the countryside in this location.
Development will significantly affect stepping stones, green networks, or wildlife corridors. Site ID 514 Land East of St Athan Road
4. The development of this site would be an arbitrary incursion into the countryside in this location.
Site ID 555 Land off Vale Court, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan
All four of the above “conclusions” are also very relevant to site 370 (Bryn Melin) which should therefore (according to consistency) be removed from the sites suitable for further consideration in the document “Conclusions at Preferred Strategy Stage” in Background Paper – BP18A and reallocated within the document to sites not suitable for further consideration. As previously said it is the only site in the whole of the Rural Vale included in this category:
5. The site is allocated in the adopted LDP and is considered suitable to be‘rolled forward’ as an RLDP housing allocation as it is considered to be deliverable and accords with the Strategy. The site is subject to a planning application. Site ID 370 Bryn Melin
Site 370 is already in the current LDP, a planning permission application is in progress. It seems very likely that this is the reason why this site is to be included for further consideration. When compared to the 8 other sites in the Rural Vale (Cowbridge & Llanblethian) there are many similarities that should cause the status of the site to be changed to not suitable for further consideration.
Reasons for the other sites being excluded: - The site would represent unacceptable intrusion in to the open countryside. - The site is located on the outskirts of Cowbridge. - Development is likely to result in a substantial change in character and/or significant adverse effects on landscape character and visual amenity. - The development of this site would be an arbitrary incursion into the countryside in this location. All the above are very relevant to site 370 but are ignored. This shows inconsistency.
5. Other Considerations
There is no public transport for the site, developing this site will result in a significant increase in car use with the obvious problems this will cause including environmentally.
This site fails as it will not be accessible to all users. According to the current planning application the slope of the field is 1 in 6 (17%) the new housing development would also have a steep gradient, pushing a wheelchair or a pram up or down such a gradient would be very difficult and very dangerous (particularly should someone trip over while doing so), such a slope would also cause problems for someone with limited mobility. From experience I know that pushing a wheelchair up and down Windmill Lane, which is not a steep slope, was difficult enough.
It is currently very difficult to get an appointment to see a doctor or dentist in Cowbridge, with more houses being built the wait for these appointments will be even longer.
At present it is not easy to park in Cowbridge with the additional cars from more housing developments it will become even harder to find spaces. People will then decide not to shop in Cowbridge but drive to the out of town stores where they can park.
Loss of a greenfield site which has a very popular and well used public footpath running through it. Once it is built on it will be lost forever. Developing this land will have a detrimental effect on the local character and contribute negatively to the sustainability of the area.
This is the land that will be lost forever. Please protect this site from development and retain it as agricultural open countryside.
Cowbridge Town Council unanimously rejected the inclusion of Site 370 in the RDLP in a meeting on 24th February 2026. They are responsible for the Cowbridge Placemaking Plan which is in place (amongst other priorities) to protect public spaces and the town-edge environment.
Inconsistencies and other facts listed above show that the inclusion of Site ID 370 Bryn Melin in the RLDP is not appropriate regardless of whether planning permission has been applied for.
Due to the reasons given above I am objecting to the inclusion of Candidate Site – ID 370 Bryn Melin
in the RDLP 2021 -2036.
