Three sites included in plans for south Wales housing development despite traffic concerns

Anthony Lewis – Local democracy reporter

Three sites for new housing in south Wales have been included in a council’s development plan despite concerns about the impact on traffic and a lack of infrastructure.

At a full council meeting on Monday, December 1, a consultation report on housing growth in Barry as part of the Vale of Glamorgan’s replacement local development plan (LDP) was considered and councillors voted to allocate three sites in Barry for housing developments with 26 in favour, 22 against and one abstention.

The preferred strategy for the revised LDP was agreed by full council in September last year and initially identified a key site in the north-east of Barry but there were concerns on deliverability so the council decided to consult on alternative sites.

These include land in north west Barry near Weycock Cross, land at Neptune Road and Hayes Lane, The Bendricks which have now been included following the meeting on December 1 although Plaid Cymru had proposed an amendment to remove the north west Barry site which fell by a single vote.

There were 159 responses to the consultation and Labour councillor Ruba Sivagnanam, who is the council’s cabinet member for community engagement, equalities and regulatory services, acknowledged there were valid concerns raised by residents.

She said: “I do understand residents’ concerns about capacity of infrastructure and those concerns I think have been listened to.”

She said there are specific concerns about increased traffic congestion at Weycock Cross roundabout and the impact the proposed key site at north west Barry would have on this.

“But I do want to reassure members that developers, not just on this site but on the other sites west of Barry will be required to fund off-site highways improvements to deal with traffic issues.”

Cllr Sivagnanam recognised the new development will generate a demand for school places and there will be a requirement for developers to fund an increase in school capacity where it is needed.

In relation to health services, she said the council is in constant conversations with the health board so they’re aware of the developments and that this may present additional needs.

Growth

She said: “Barry is the largest and most sustainable settlement in the Vale and is identified as a key settlement in our LDP hierarchy.

“So it is appropriate in my view that Barry accommodates a level of growth commensurate with its position.

“The need for affordable housing is critical. There are around 7,000 households on the council’s register with 4,000 expressing a preference to live in Barry.

“Nearly 900 households are living in inappropriate housing in Barry and I think that these three sites offer a real opportunity to provide much needed homes.

“The Vale is within a national growth area where housing and economic growth are expected and options for growth in Barry are limited.

She said the opportunities to allocate deliverable large scale brownfield sites near railway stations no longer exist but that the sites put forward represent the best options for housing following a robust assessment.

Councillor Dr Ian Johnson, leader of the Plaid Cymru group on the council, called for the Weycock Cross site in the north-west of Barry to be removed from the revised LDP but his proposed amendment failed by just one vote.

He raised support for the scheme at Neptune Road and reiterated concerns raised in a scrutiny committee meeting about the lack of facilities and public transport in The Bendricks.

But he said the most controversial one is the one in the north-west of Barry at Weycock Cross and that in the prospective LDP in 2012, the Conservatives built 700 houses around Weycock Cross into the scheme and that during that election campaign Labour took out a whole page advertisement in the local press against the plans.

Opposition

Cllr Johnson then added that when Labour won the election they took out the 700 houses and redistributed them around the Vale.

He said: “So the Conservatives have installed Weycock Cross in the plan but Labour took out the site. And now both are doing the opposite to that.

“Labour is trying to build 360 houses on the site and the Conservatives are opposed to the plan.

“Plaid Cymru continues with our concern about the suitability of the site for housing for a number of reasons really including the loss of the green belt, traffic problems, the likelihood of overreliance on cars and a lack of public transport.”

He said it’s important that they can see a strategy to help people in need and he asked how they address the need of the 900 households in Barry who do not have suitable housing.

And Cllr Johnson also mentioned sites where planning already exists but which are not part of the propsoed scheme such as the college site on Colcot Road and the Western Gateway at Gladstone Bridge.

Conservative group leader Councillor George Carroll said the proposed inclusion of the Weycock Cross site within the LDP is “deeply regrettable.”

“I have long opposed developing this site primarily because of the impacts that it will have on traffic at the Weycock Cross junction.

“I use that route frequently and it doesn’t matter what time of the day you’re travelling down Five Mile Lane there is always a significant possibility that you will be caught in traffic at that junction.

“It is in my view at capacity and exacerbating the situation by adding an additional number of dwellings to that area will only serve to make matters worse.”

Cllr Carroll said there were 129 respondents in the consultation to the proposal for north west Barry and all but three of those signalled opposition.

He said the site is clearly unsuitable for development especially of the density suggested.

He said he’d be supporting the amendment to remove the site from the revised LDP and he said it was quite clear that there was significant public concern about developing that site.

Speaking about the proposed Bendricks allocation, Councillor Kevin Mahoney, Independent, said he realised the need for new houses but added “yet again we’re proposing to build houses on such concentrated unsuitable areas with no infrastructure, no doctors, no new dentists.”

He said he’s not aware of any new doctors with all the new developments they’ve had certainly not in the area he represents.

Cllr Mahoney said there’s nothing in The Bendricks except the transport cafe with an intermittent bus service heavily subsidised by section 106 money and when that runs out the bus service will disappear.

Lip service

He said that when they say they recognise they need new doctors and roads, none of them ever appear.

“Why on Earth would you build another large community to add to the other ones you’ve just made down at Hayeswood Road, down The Bendricks there, when you’re not providing anything?”

He said that community is almost cut off and anyone without any transport is kind of stuck there.

Cllr Mahoney said: “Stop putting new housing on the same places in such a concentrated area. You just cannot do it.

“It’s just bunging everything up. There aren’t the services. You’re not providing them and you’re paying lip service to consultations as usual.”