Plans to redevelop 'only green spaces' in Welsh county met with criticism by residents

Kieran Molloy, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents in a Welsh county have banded together to stop an area of green field from potential development.

The site, a green space adjoining Cardiff Road in Dinas Powys, has been earmarked in Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Deposit Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) for 250 new homes.

This is a key plan made by councils to allocate land use in regard to housing, jobs, and infrastructure development.

Christine Drury, a member of the community who is helping to lead the charge against the new houses, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) about the campaign’s concerns surrounding the new homes.

She said “we will lose our village identity” and claimed the plans are “slowly taking away all the green spaces”.

Ms Drury continued: “These green fields are the only green spaces we’ve got to this end of the village.”

She also raised concerns about the number of new houses worsening the flooding in the village, which has been a historic concern, as well as a lack of infrastructure available in Dinas Powys in regard to the increase in road congestion, places in local schools, and health services.

In regard to traffic Ms Drury said Dinas Powys was “at capacity” and is “just not suitable for this sort of development”.

The active travel plans for the site were also criticised as not being suitable for the older residents in Dinas Powys.

Active travel plans encourage people to make everyday journeys by physically active travel such as walking or cycling.

A spokesman for the council told the LDRS: “The council has recently consulted on the Deposit Replacement Local Development Plan (2021–2036), which identifies land north of Dinas Powys for 250 new homes – 40% of which would become affordable housing.”

They continued: “With a need for more than 500 affordable homes locally in Dinas Powys over the next 15 years this site will make an important contribution to meeting the needs of the community.

“The proposed development is in a sustainable location with strong public transport links and good access to local services and will also deliver investment in highways improvements, additional school places, and community facilities alongside enhancements to open spaces and biodiversity projects.

“The site will also be required to incorporate sustainable drainage systems to manage surface water runoff and reduce the risk of flooding in the area.

“We recognise the concerns of residents about these proposals and many responses have been received as part of the RLDP consultation, which ended on March 11, 2026.”