Testun llawn:
Dear Sir/Madam I initially submitted a response to the plans for the land north of Eastbrook on January 31st 2026. In it, I made it plain that I disagreed with the proposed location of 250 houses at the location designated as HG1 KS2- LAND TO THE NORTH OF DINAS POWYS
In the intervening weeks, a number of issues involving Vale Council policy have been brought to my and other people's attention.
1) The obvious issue is potholes, making driving through Dinas Powys (and not just the main road) both uncomfortable and dangerous. With the already excessive traffic travelling through the village the Council's first responsibility is to provide safe and usable roads for the existing population. Your second responsibility is to ensure that, in the case of damage to cars as a result of poor road surfaces, you pay compensation to the drivers inconvenienced by such incidents as well as ensuring that road surfaces are in good condition at the start of the autumn/winter. I realise that repairing holes during the winter can be very complicated but this is one of the many issues that you, as councillors elected by the people of the Vale, the responsibility of good quality management.
2) A second is the information that Persimmon - who already have a vested interest in the issue of flooding both on the land proposed for the 250+ houses north of Eastbrook and in the wider issue of flooding in Dinas Powys - was asked to carry out an assessment to see that the project would be 'waterproof' and 'floodproof'. This review ought to have been passed to a totally independent body, rather than by a body who already has a major interest in the project. When will the Vale be arranging such an independent assessor.
I could happily carry on with other issues that concern many people in Dinas Powys, from the serious lack of basic social infrastructure such as schools and medical facilities (I don't regard privately owned surgeries and dentists as part of such infrastructure). However, I won't but will give you a scenario to consider - - which is apt in more than one sense.
If you were planning to create a new road somewhere on the outskirts of a village such as Dinas Powys, would your first action be to lay asphalt? Of course you wouldn't. Assuming that you had already decided on the route for the road, you would need to clear the route of vegetation, topsoil, debris and any obstacles. Only then could you start digging the area to reach a suitable foundation level before the ground is levelled and slopes are created to assist proper drainage.
Only once that stage has been completed can the preparation of the subgrade layer get underway. This stage is crucial as a strong subgrade is vital to the finished road being strong enough to withstand heavy traffic loads and environmental conditions.This is followed by the installation of the base layer to ensure equal distribution of the load of traffic across the road structure. Only then can initial paving (asphalt or concrete) be started. Halfway through this, drains and gutters need to be constructed before the final layer(s) of paving is finally laid.
Applied to the situation here in Dinas Powys, you are trying to lay 'asphalt' before ensuring the various variables and stages listed above have been given the go-ahead.
In my view, the Eastbrook development (HG1 KS2) is the asphalt on the top of the project. There are plenty of planning and review processes (the clearance of debris topsoil and vegetation) to be properly satisfied before ant progress is made. For instance, new schools and medical facilities need to be planned and created; the A4055 needs to be reviewed to ensure that there are no unduly long backlogs traveling through the village (currently, these start around 7am and often carry on till mid- morning before a second 'rush hour' lasts from midday till about 2pm before a third rush hour starts at 3pm, going on till 7/7:30pm), and that the road can cope with the added weight of traffic (let alone the added weight of heavier electric cars). Add to that, the huge amount of work that needs to be done on ensuring that water flowing into the Eastbrook from the north and the west does not overload that water course or get displaced further downstream thus putting additional pressure on the River Cadoxton south of the Infant School.
Rather than repeating my comments submitted on January 31ˢᵗ, I will leave the committee to imagine quite how many issues need to be resolved before the first sod of earth to be cut on the site north of Eastbrook is even considered to be possible.
