The scale of housing development proposed for St Athan is inappropriate changing the nature of it from village to dormitory settlement. It would need extensive additional infrastructure - shops, pharmacies, schools, doctors, dentist, public transport, leisure facilities- to support the proposed housing, and this has not been adequately provided for.

The scale of housing development proposed for St Athan is inappropriate changing the nature of it from village to dormitory settlement. It would need extensive additional infrastructure - shops, pharmacies, schools, doctors, dentist, public transport, leisure facilities- to support the proposed housing, and this has not been adequately provided for.

The entrance suggested on Gileston Road is, at best, ill thought through and possibly catastrophic for St Athan through gridlock in what was a village. Planners need to reconsider

Not opposed to development but Concerned about entrance on Gileston Rd,health & safety of local residents and school children must be considered. Increase in traffic in building and living in will be huge and village can’t take it. It will not only increase emissions but traffic congestion, air pollution and noise.Far better to have access via roundabout on B2465 by 4cross garage and not Gileston Rd.

I am writing to formally object to the proposed housing development at [site location/reference number].

My objection is based on serious concerns regarding road safety, insufficient infrastructure, and the lack of adequate public transport within the village.

1. Road Safety Concerns

The roads serving the proposed development are already operating beyond safe and reasonable capacity. [Name of Road(s)] is narrow, lacks continuous pavements, and has limited visibility at key junctions. There are existing issues with:
• Speeding vehicles
• Poor sight lines at junctions
• Inadequate pedestrian crossings
• Limited street lighting
• On-street parking restricting carriageway width

The addition of significant construction traffic followed by permanent residential traffic will inevitably increase congestion and the risk of accidents. The village roads were not designed to accommodate the volume of vehicles that this development would generate.

Furthermore, many residents — including children walking to school and elderly residents — rely on these roads daily. Increasing traffic levels would create unacceptable safety risks for pedestrians and cyclists.

2. Lack of Local Infrastructure

The village infrastructure is already under strain. There is limited capacity in:
• GP services
• School places
• Drainage and sewage systems
• Parking provision
• Local amenities and services

No clear or deliverable plan has been presented to demonstrate how these services will be expanded to accommodate the proposed increase in population. Without substantial prior investment in infrastructure, this development would place unsustainable pressure on existing facilities.

3. Inadequate Public Transport

Public transport provision in the village is minimal and unreliable. Bus services are infrequent and do not provide viable commuting options. There is no train station within walking distance.

As a result, future residents would be almost entirely dependent on private vehicles. This contradicts sustainable development principles and will further intensify traffic congestion and carbon emissions.

Approving a large-scale housing development in a location with such limited transport links is inconsistent with national and local planning policies that promote sustainable travel and reduced car dependency.

I have lived in the village for many years and am extremely concerned about the impact this development would have on road safety and the already stretched infrastructure within our community.

The roads serving the proposed site are narrow, busy, and in parts lack proper pavements and safe crossing points. Visibility at junctions is poor, and traffic speeds are already a concern. Adding a significant number of additional vehicles — both during construction and once the houses are occupied — will inevitably increase congestion and the risk of accidents. This is particularly worrying for children walking to school, elderly residents, and pedestrians who rely on these roads daily.

In addition, the village infrastructure is not equipped to support a development of this scale. Local GP services, schools, parking, and drainage systems are already under pressure. There has been no clear evidence presented to show how these essential services would be expanded to cope with a substantial increase in population.

Public transport in the village is extremely limited. Bus services are infrequent and unreliable, and there is no easily accessible train station. As a result, new residents would be almost entirely dependent on private cars, which would further increase traffic and contradict sustainable development principles.

For these reasons, I strongly urge the planning authority to refuse this application. The development is not suitable for the size and capacity of our village and would have lasting negative consequences for existing residents.

Thank you for taking my comments into consideration.

The location of the retail store to be moved with road access from B4265 road.
No road access at all into the site from Gileston Road due to congestion and safety.
It’ll be safer for access from the B4265 and offers passing trade from Llantwit and Rhoose.

Access needs to change and location of the retail shop. St Athan village is busy enough as it is and it would be safer to move all access to B4265 road.

St Athan village is restricted for HGV access with good reason. We also have a poorly designed road junction by the War memorial. Additional HGV access to the proposed site will cause more RTAs

* Alternative land with better infrastructure should be considered, in the first instance brown field sites.
* The land near the Aston Martin Factory, has excellent transport links and near to the town Llantwit Major.
* as a minimum this area should be considered as an alternative before any further work is undertaken on the St Athan proposals.

* the assumption the infrastructure and services will be in place is highly implausible.
* public transport links are already poor and the proposed developments in St Athan will exacerbate the already overstretched resources, i.e GP’s, School, etc.
* the additional traffic congestion onto Gileston Road will be dangerous making it difficult to access and egress St Athan.
* In 2023, the Welsh Government passed the Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023
This legislation focuses on "Sustainable Land Management" (SLM), which includes protecting and enhancing the environment. Alternative land should be considered - this farm land should be protected for future generations.

Reduce the number of proposed houses.

My objections refer to the village of St Athan and its proposed overdevelopment - The vilage has limited infrastructure two doctors surgeries which are full to capacity with existing patients, a school which apparently is full and struggles to take on any additional children three shops but it is proposed to add 1100 houses over possibly 7 building sites. This means an additional 1500 -2000 vehicles on the already narrow and congested roads some of which were built for horse and carts not large motorcars.
We do not have a railway station or a regular half hourly bus service

Objection 1 – The size of the proposed development.

The Welsh Government have stated a requirement for 8,660 additional houses to be built within the Vale of Glamorgan.
Of the 5 key sites, St Athan is most heavily targeted with proposals of 1150 new dwellings within the Church Farm sites and Land West of St Athan site, with additional dwellings at other locations within the village.

There is a heavily weighted population increased to the village of St Athan within the 2 key sites and other proposals within St Athan, compared with the other key sites.
An increase of over 1150 dwellings and the associated increase in number of residents would significantly change the existing settlement of St Athan.

Section SSC1 of the RLDP
6.27 To ensure that new development within settlement boundaries is successfully integrated, proposals will need to demonstrate that they complement the layout, scale, fabric, and appearance of the existing settlement. It will also be important to ensure that the scale and quantity of such developments is in proportion to the size of the settlement, and the range of services and community facilities that are available at the time of the application.

The proposal discusses plans to improve infrastructure, facilities and services, recognising that there will be a need to provide additional resources to meet the needs of the increased population.
This is acknowledging that there is not the current infrastructure at the time of the application as stated in point 6.27 of the RLDP.

1a. The size of the proposed development is too big for St Athan to maintain its character and will fail to provide adequate resources and infrastructure to meet the needs of the additional population, contravening section SSC1 6.27 of the RLDP


The Vale of Glamorgan Council have suggested that St Athan is a suitable placement to justify this number of additional homes, based on the potential employment opportunities at Bro Tathan Business Park.

Section SP6
6.95 - the adjoining Bro Tathan Enterprise Zone provides a range of employment opportunities, with the delivery of a significant number of additional jobs expected over the plan period, ensuring new housing is co-located with employment opportunities

The RLDP requests new housing to be co-located with employment opportunities.
The term “expected” in relation to additional jobs is not a sufficient basis for proposing that the development ensures housing is co-located with employment opportunities if the opportunities do not currently exist.

Are the 8,660 homes stated by the Welsh Government required to meet the needs of the current residents of the Vale of Glamorgan, or is it to meet the predicted need of the influx of additional residents, attracted to the area by employment opportunities?

If St Athan is required to have significant growth to the community, it would be to meet the needs of existing and current residents of St Athan and the Vale?

The delivery of new or improved infrastructure must be undertaken in a timely and coordinated manner to mee the needs of existing and planned communities prior to, or from the commencement of, the relevant phases of development. – RLDP
“We need to pledge that employment, training and investment in the built environment is achieved before houses are built otherwise more people are using cars etc.” BP1 Engagement Report

1b. The proposal to build a significant number of dwellings to house employees of jobs that do not currently exist appears to be illogical, and contravenes SP6 6.95.


Objection 2 – The layout of the access road on Gileston Road

The proposal to have access for vehicles belonging to 550 dwellings onto Gileston Road is completely unacceptable.

SP13 of the RLDP states the requirement of ensuring community infrastructure is not significantly compromised by new developments.

Gileston Road currently struggles to cope with existing traffic, being the main road into and out of the village.
Additional traffic from the new development will be overwhelming, create a bottle neck for all, and a huge safety risk to residents, road users and pedestrians.

It is noted that phase 2 of the Church Farm development has access from the B4265 via a roundabout.

Residents of St Athan all concur that a single point of access to the new proposed development should be from the B4265, thus minimising any additional traffic onto Gileston Road.

It is also noted that the proposal for the Land West of St Athan has a single access point from the B4265, and it is generally agreed that this is a favoured option for the Church Farm development.

2. There should NOT be any access from the Church Farm Development onto Gileston Road.


Objection 3 – Placement of the proposed supermarket.

With the current proposal and placement of the supermarket, is it anticipated that there will be increased traffic onto Gileston Road from other Vale residents accessing the store, creating further traffic numbers, congestion and hazard to St Athan residents.

Section PGD1
6.42 Issues associated with unacceptable impacts on residential amenity should be addressed during the design process especially where mixed use developments are proposed

It is noted that the Transport Plans have assessed impacts of increased vehicular activity resulting from the number of dwellings, but do not make any reference to the expected impact of increased volumes of traffic resulting from visiting residents of the Vale to the new proposed supermarket, and the impact this will have on Gileston Road.

Moving the proposed site of the supermarket to the roundabout access on the main road B4265 will mitigate any additional traffic using Gileston Road and allow safer access for all residents of the Vale.

It is understood that there was a request from St Athan Community Council to have the Supermarket in the North West area.
It is understood that this request was regarding the North West area of St Athan, closer to the new development of Parc Fferm Wen and Eglis Brewis, rather than the North West area of the proposed development.

St Athan is currently served by small local businesses offering convenience goods. The addition of a large supermarket will place direct competition on these businesses, risking loss of income and employment for many residents of St Athan.

PGD1
6.42 Issues associated with unacceptable impacts on residential amenity should be addressed during the design process.

The placement of the supermarket outside the central village location will reduce the direct competition to these businesses.

3. Placement of the proposed supermarket next to the access point of phase 2 from the main road B4265 will ease any potential congestion on Gileston Road from non St Athan residents and minimise direct competition to the current businesses in St Athan.

Objection 4 – Coping with Waste Water

The residents of St Athan recognise the demands on the infrastructure the new developments will be placing on existing utilities.
Within the RDLP, it is noted that:
6.102 There is limited capacity in West Aberthaw Waste Water Treatment Works (WwTW). A scheme to upgrade the WwTW is planned as part of the current AMP investment period (2025-2030). If the development wishes to connect in advance of the completion of the AMP scheme, then the developer would need to undertake a Developer Impact Assessment (DIA) to establish the reinforcement works needed at the WwTW to accommodate their site.
4. The proposed development will not be able to be supported by existing utilities.

Furthermore, there is much concern from the residents of Gilestone road over the proposed access point and Turley have stated that the access was chosen due to the layby on the road providing the widest point for HGV access. I would point out that the junction where Gileston road meets the B4265 at the monument was re-aligned a few years ago. This was done to prevent long articulated HGV's heading to Aston Martin from turning right into the village off the main road.

I would therefore suggest a serious re-consideration to the phase one access point and consider the first access point be created off the main B4265 by the Four Cross petrol station. A farm lane exists that could be widened and designated as HGV access for building supplies and later made into a second permanent access point with slip roads or a roundabout. This would solve the problem of safety concerns and HGV chaos on Gilestone road and long HGV's on the main road being unable to turn right into St Athan. Again, a sensible and practical solution.

Review the scale of the development so it is proportionate to the village and does not overwhelm existing services and community character.
Undertake a full traffic and highway assessment and identify safer access arrangements before any development proceeds.
Relocate the proposed supermarket so it can be accessed directly from the main road, reducing additional traffic through the village or consider replacing the single large supermarket with a row of smaller shops that better reflect the scale and character of the village.
Ensure infrastructure improvements are planned and delivered first, including medical services, schools, transport links, and emergency service capacity.
Provide adequate parking solutions to address existing and future demand.
Carry out detailed flooding and environmental assessments and implement measures to protect wildlife and local habitats.
Include appropriate community and recreational facilities to support the increased population.
Engage meaningfully with the St Athan community before progressing the development further.

We, St Athan Community Council, formally object to the proposed Church Farm development as currently presented. While we recognise the need for housing, the scale of the proposal raises serious concerns regarding traffic, infrastructure capacity, and the impact on the village character. The proposed access and supermarket location are likely to increase traffic through the village, creating safety and congestion issues. Infrastructure such as medical services, schools, transport, and emergency services may not be able to support the increased population. Flooding risks, environmental impacts, and the need for appropriate community facilities must also be addressed. In reiteration, the St Athan community formally objects to the development as proposed.

Insufficient access to the site from both Gileston Road and the B4265. Gileston Road is a bottleneck for access to the village. Bro Tathan also use this route (incorrectly). Road is too narrow with danger to pedestrians. Widening of Gileston Road is not possible without removing hedgerow which you have stated should be retained. Proposed signals at the junction will create even greater traffic congestion with an increase of traffic pollution. 20mph limit at present which is not kept to by most vehicles. Main access for all phases must be off B4265.

Poor access to site which will lead to even more congestion on Gileston Road. Bro Tathan employees already use the village as a rat run and hardly any driver complies with the 20mph limit. Both Gileston road and the one footpath are too narrow creating danger to pedestrians. Widening only possible by removal of the established hedgerow which the plan says must be retained. Only one access site to phase 1 will increase traffic congestion and pollution and proposed signals at the B4265 junction will only exacerbate this.

No development in this area

Housing in this area would negatively impact on the already overburdened highway and roundabout at weycock cross. The proposals are based on outdated traffic counts and any additional traffic generated by this development would add to the already regular gridlock when any incident happens on the highway. It would also increase the unacceptable queueing on Port road towards weycock cross.

The major concern here is the access point to Phase 1 being from Gileston Rd.Increased traffic flow here plus that then exiting the road at Gileston Cross would exacerbate an already overloaded system. Exiting at the crossroads has become more difficult recently due to increased traffic flow through St Athan and along the B4265.
A different entrance to the estate directly off the B4265 would be beneficial in all respects.
Another concern is that any retail business here should not have an adverse affect on existing businesses and perhaps its location at the bottom end of the development in Phase 2 would be more beneficial for everyone.
The size of the development combined with other proposals for the village in the RLDP seems rather extreme compared to the existing village size which has the danger of overloading an already stretched infrastructure.

Until St Athan is directly linked to the rail network and served by more frequent bus services people in this area will be reliant on private vehicle use to commute to work. The road network in the area is unsuitable for large traffic increases and this development will place extra stress on already congested junctions such as Weycock Cross further down the Vale towards Barry.

HG1 KS4 Land at Church Farm, St Athan page 42 onwards. While the hedgerows is the site's current main green asset the site could deliver significant benefits and improvement in the feel of the whole of the St Athan area if a green wedge is created between the site and Gileston Road planted with trees and potentially a new hedge. Creating a tree lined route into St Athan, this would enhance the area and well-being with a sense of place. The houses should be front facing the road - no messy back fences!

Vehicle access locations are dangerous / lack of additional sewage facilities specified

The lack of infrastructure in st athan is already beyond unacceptable. If I want to not use my car, it takes well over 2 hours to get to work due to lack of bus links and train station. Also the doctors is completely irrelevant as they do not do appointments here on a regular basis. There is no entertainment provision at all. Without these key investments the houses are being built without providing any kind of support for living in the area. Further to this, these houses will add substantially to the traffic into Barry, which is seen as the main area in the vale for services. Currently driving the 6 miles into barry in the morning takes nearly an hour due to traffic and all of these developments are just adding to this. There needs to be some kind of relief built prior to further housing, such as a road that takes out port road if people are travelling to Cardiff, I.e. a link road across to the five mile lane, which is massively under utilised despite being given as the reason traffic wont be a problem

Fully consider concerns if proceeding with the development.

We are writing to formally object to the proposed development at Church Farm, St Athan. While we recognise the need for additional housing, including social housing, we believe the current proposal raises significant concerns regarding traffic, infrastructure capacity, the scale of development, and the impact on the character of the village and local environment.

Traffic and Highway Safety
The proposed access point to the development is considered by many residents to be poorly located and unsuitable for the anticipated increase in traffic. The entrance to the village from the main road already presents difficulties, and additional vehicle movements generated by a development of this scale could significantly worsen congestion and raise safety concerns for both motorists and pedestrians.
The proposed location of the supermarket is also a major concern. If positioned in a way that encourages vehicles to travel through the village to access the store, this will inevitably increase traffic levels within residential streets.
Ideally, any supermarket or retail provision should be located within the development where it can be accessed directly from the main road. This would help reduce unnecessary traffic travelling through the village and minimise congestion on local roads.
Another suggestion would be to replace the proposal for a single large supermarket with a row of smaller retail units. Smaller shops would be more in keeping with the scale and character of the village and would likely generate less destination traffic while still providing local amenities.
Parking within St Athan is already a concern, particularly around the school and village centre. The proposal does not appear to sufficiently address the additional parking demand that will result from both the housing development and the retail element.

Infrastructure Capacity
We are concerned that the existing infrastructure in St Athan is insufficient to support a development of this size.
Key concerns include:
• Limited public transport services
• Pressure on local medical facilities
• Capacity within schools
• The ability of emergency services to respond effectively with a larger population
It is our understanding that local doctors and schools have not been adequately consulted regarding the impact of the development. While it has been suggested that the primary school may be replaced, there appears to be no clear provision for additional education capacity specifically linked to this development.
Infrastructure improvements should be clearly planned and implemented before development of this scale proceeds.

Scale of Development
This proposal represents the largest housing development undertaken in the area to date. Such a substantial increase in housing could dramatically alter the size and character of St Athan, which is traditionally a rural village community.
We are also concerned about the cumulative impact of smaller developments being inserted between established residential areas, which collectively place increasing pressure on local services and infrastructure.

Community Facilities
With the increase in housing proposed, additional community and recreational facilities will be needed. Currently, many residents rely on larger nearby towns for these amenities. The proposal does not appear to adequately provide the additional facilities that would be necessary to support the increased population.

Flooding and Environmental Impact
Flooding risks associated with the development site have not been fully addressed and should be carefully assessed before any planning decision is made.
In addition, the area supports local wildlife, including rare bird species, and appropriate ecological assessments and protections must be demonstrated.

Fair Allocation and Local Need
While we recognise that housing is required across the Vale of Glamorgan, development should be proportionate and supported by appropriate infrastructure. There are concerns within the community that the scale of development proposed for St Athan may not fairly reflect local need when compared with other areas within the Vale.

Conclusion
For the reasons outlined above, we urge the Vale of Glamorgan Council to reconsider this proposal. Any development at Church Farm should only proceed if infrastructure, traffic management, community facilities, and environmental protections are adequately addressed in advance.
We respectfully request that these concerns are fully considered as part of the planning consultation process.
In reiteration, the St Athan Community Council formally objects to the proposed development at Church Farm, St Athan, as the proposals currently stand.

We are very worried about the amount of traffic this development with an Aldi will produce in the village. 500 homes will conservatively produce 1000 cars plus an Aldi will be looking to draw in at least 1000 customers per day. You propose one entry point to the development along the main road of the village, which is already contested with parked cars. The congestion and air pollution from this will greatly impact residents. May I suggest developing a roundabout by the garage to allow access to the development and that this is a better place to build the Aldi.

Particular thought needs to be taken to mitigate increased traffic through to Weycock Cross

This is an add on to another allocation - it is sloping down towards the garage on the B4265 so will be a significant impact visually on the area, while the main concern is with the overdevelopment of St Athan when taken with the other plots in this plan. Infrastructure for the significant impact on traffic movements are not fully planned in. The overdevelopment of St Athan once a village should be taken as a special impact item for overall discussion not each plot in isolation!

I have previously commented on this site many times, while I am concerned with the over development of St Athan, I do feel this site could deliver a number of benefits should the planners work with the developers including - enhanced entrance to village with a tree lined green wedge between housing and Gileston Road, widening of the pavement on the western side of Gileston Road, a much needed new access to school, some green space, improved junction with the B4265. Older people housing considered as part of the affordable housing allocation, as good access to village hub.

Entrance to the supermarket should be from the main road and not the Gileston Road.
Shop should be at the other end of community and not opposite the existing shop provision

If the construction of a new housing estate at Church Farm is unavoidable, the development should have as little negative impact as possible on the existing St Athan community and residents by being a self-contained cul-de-sac accessed only from the B4265, with no vehicular access to or from Gileston Road, to minimise the impact of additional traffic in the village. There should be no vehicular access point on Gileston Road for any residential or retail development on the Church Farm site.

If the construction of new housing estates at Site 456 Land West of St Athan and Site 462 Church Farm is unavoidable, the developments should have as little negative impact as possible on the existing St Athan community and residents by being self-contained cul-de-sacs accessed only from the B4265, with no vehicular access to or from Llantwit Road or Gileston Road respectvely, to minimise the impact of additional traffic in the village. There should be no vehicular access point on Llantwit Road or Gileston Road for any residential development on the Land West of St Athan and Church Farm sites.

HUGE safety concerns with the proposed entrance to Church Farm. The entrance should be moved to the B4265, opposite the Four Cross petrol station which is a much safer, sensible option.

This would mean there is no direct access to the new development from Gileston Road & ensure the safety of the residents and school children by not adding 1000+ cars.

I am not objecting to the houses, I don’t agree we need so many and the retail store is in the wrong place but the entrance is a huge safety concern. Please consider moving this to the main road.