Testun llawn:
I have lived in Dinas Powys for over 70 years. I grew up living first on Penyturnpike and then, when I got married over 45 years ago, moved to Highfield Close. I have noticed how much the village has grown and changed and the traffic has increased. I never remember flooding ever having been as bad as it has over recent years.
EXCESS TRAFFIC AND POLLUTION: Due to local developments over the last few years the whole area has reached saturation point as far as traffic is concerned. From the A4232 junction with the M4 to Culverhouse Cross, Penarth, Sully, Barry, Wenvoe and through Dinas Powys wherever you go at whatever time of day there is traffic congestion. It can sometimes take as long as 5 minutes to exit Georges Row on to Cardiff Road towards Barry before there is a lull in the traffic from both directions. A new development of 250 houses will generate an additional 500 cars at least. Imagine what these vehicles will do to the already congested traffic system. Another set of traffic lights on Eastbrook Road at the entrance to the new development will cause even more chaos. Only last week a car overturned on the straight stretch of road into Dinas Powys just after the traffic lights and Cardiff Road had to be closed in both directions for a few hours which caused problems for the rest of the day.
ACTIVE TRAVEL The pavements are too narrow for pedestrians to walk to Eastbrook station and once you get there anyone with a pushchair or mobility problems cannot negotiate the footbridge as there is no lift to get to the opposite platform. The pavements are so narrow pedestrians cannot pass one another without stepping into the road. There is no provision for cycle paths and parking at the station is inadequate, There is no additional public transport which makes it more difficult to get around and none of the local amenities will be within walking distance of the new development. Pedestrian access to the new development via Powys Place and Powys Drive or Georges Row is completely unsuitable for anyone with mobility problems as it is on a very steep hill. Cardiff Road and Culverhouse Cross were already at capacity five years ago and there have been no subsequent road upgrades. The extra traffic will exacerbate the poor air quality outside schools which is bad for children and pedestrians alike.
NHS SERVICES Emergency services, A and E and maternity facilities will all be directly affected by the additional demand.
DOCTORS SURGERIES AND SCHOOLS These are at full capacity as a couple of the surgeries in Penarth have closed and over 1,000 new patients have been transferred to Dinas Powys The local primary and secondary schools are also at full capacity and oversubscribed,
INCREASED FLOODING The fields at the rear of Georges Row and Highfield Close are very often underwater as they take the run off from the higher ground around Llandough Hospital and Penyturnpike. As you walk through them there are marsh plants growing and you feel your feet sinking into the waterlogged ground. There was even a flock of seagulls floating on the water which had ponded in the field behind my house. The water runoff will drain into the Cadoxton Brook and cause more flooding in Dinas Powys. In all the time | have lived here I have never known flooding as bad as it has been during the last few years. A friend who lives on Southra Park has recently been issued with flood prevention barriers by the NRW. The drainage systems cannot cope with the amount of extra waste being produced by the existing developments. How much worse will it be with the waste from another big development and the Cog Road Sewerage Plant which has not been upgraded for many years so cannot cope with what is produced already.
REDUCED GREENBELT Big reductions in the greenbelt boundary will merge Dinas Powys into Llandough. These boundaries are meant to protect spaces and not adjusted to fit an agenda.
LOSS OF WILD LIFE Any further development will also damage the local wildlife. The fields at the rear of Highfield Close and Georges Row are home to all sort of wild animals and birds, we have squirrels and foxes that regularly come into the garden. We even have bats flying around on warm summer evenings and all types of birds nest in the hedges and trees, in fact we are only allowed to cut the hedges at certain times of the year so as not to disturb nesting birds. I regularly see buzzards hunting and have even seen a heron or egret in the fields. Considering how environmentally friendly we are encouraged to be these days it would be a travesty to destroy this beautiful rural area.
LOSING VILLAGE IDENTITY The population of Dinas Powys is continuously increasing and it will not be long before we lose our identity completely as a village and become part of Llandough.
The Eastbrook site was turned down last time. What has changed to make it viable now?
Additional Points to be considered
Highway objections have not been met around active travel and transport requirements.
Highways documents state that active travel and bus improvements most be produced. Persimmons has not agreed to this.
Persimmons assessment shows walking and cycling routes fail to meet required width standards and alternative routes via Seel Park and alleys are unsuitable.
Connections to Eastbrook station are not feasible due to limited road space for active travel.
Cardiff Road is too narrow for safe Active Travel.
Policy requires public transport requirements but Persimmon proposes no new bus infrastructure.
On ecology - no visible newt survey and the consultant is regarded as unreliable.
The whole area is prone to waterlogging taking run off from high ground around Llandough Hospital a Pen-y-turn Pike.
Dinas Powys cannot take any more development.
Excess traffic and pollution:
The road in the area are at saturation point. Everywhere you go you are in a traffic queue with all the new development in Sully Barry, Wenvoe Penarth and Dinas Powys and no new road improvements. another 500 vehicles at least will leave the area gridlocked. All this traffic also makes pollution levels worse for school children and pedestrians alike. None of the amenities in Dinas Powys are within walking distance of the new proposed development and with lack of public transport new residents will have to use their own transport to access them.
Active Travel. Pavements are too narrow for pedestrians to access Eastbrook station. Anyone with a pushchair or mobility problems cannot negotiate the footbridge to get from one platform to the other as there is no lift and the parking is totally inadequate.
Access to the new development via Georges Row on Powys Garden/ Powys Drive is completely unsuitable for anyone with health or mobility problems.
Increased Flooding the site is completely water logged as it takes run off from the high ground around Llandough Hospital and pen-y-turn pike. The excess water will drain which does not have the capacity to take anymore water as seen with the flooding in 2020 and subsequent years on Sunnycroft Estate. Southra Park and Cardiff Road.
NHS Services, Doctors Surgeries and Schools.
All these facilities are full and oversubscribed at present so will certainly be unable to take anymore pupils or patients.
Loss of Wildlife
The area marked for development is teeming with wildlife. Foxes and squirrels frequently come into the garden. Bats often fly around on warm summer evening and woodpeckers and many other types of birds feed from the bird table in the garden. We have seen egrets in the fields and buzzards hovering looking for small rodents in the fields. Considering how environmentally friendly we are encouraged to be, it would be a travesty to destroy this beautiful rural area.
Greenbelt and Loss of village identity.
Big reductions to the greenbelt boundary will merge Dinas Powys with Llandough and both villages will loose their identity. These boundaries are meant to protect green spaces not be adjusted to suit an agenda. The Eastbrook site was turned down for development last time. What has changed to make it viable now?
