COUNCILLORS have called for reassurances from the developers of the former Bryneithin care home site that they will adhere to all the safety conditions imposed on them.

They say that work on the site of the former Dinas Powys care home, has begun next door to St Andrew's Major Church in Wales Primary School.

Parents expressed anger to them that they weren’t told a construction team would be on site last week and said it had raised concerns over safety.

Heavy machinery was spotted on the site, with the developers, Portabella, admitting they carried out initial works but did not notify the school.

Now, there are calls for clearer communication about when works will take place.

Councillor Val Hartrey said: “I was very much against the development at Bryneithin. However the planning committee granted permission for 18 houses on the site. There were a string of conditions which included matters relating to ensure the safety of pupils, parents and staff at the adjacent St Andrews School.

“But there was outrage last week about the situation when work of some description was under way as pupils were going to school.” The community council has now sent a letter to the Vale council to demand that the school is informed of all times that work takes place.

Approval for 18 houses to be built on the land was granted by the Vale council planning committee in December 2015.

Conditions were placed upon the application, requiring the developers to enclose the site, abide by traffic calming measures and ensure large vehicles do not enter or exit the site during certain morning and afternoon periods in term time.

Cllr Chris Williams said he too hopes that the developers will continue to ensure the long-term safety of young people as they make their way to and from school. “It is my view that Dinas Powys does not need this extra housing but now that it has been approved I hope that the safety of children is paramount,” he added. “It should be a key concern over and above any other factors.” The care home was demolished after it was deemed too old to meet modern care requirements. The land was sold off in 2013.

An application to add an additional six houses to the site has also now been submitted. It will be considered in due course.

Cllr John Fanshaw, a governor of St Andrews School, He called it an “alarming situation”.

“There were fears expressed during the planning process,” he said. “We were given all types of assurances that proper precautions would take place.

“However, it seems from the start that we have heavy machinery operating near the children.”

The community council has now sent a letter to the Vale council to demand that the school is informed of all times that work takes place.

Marcus Goldsworthy, head of regeneration and planning at the Vale, said: “Mitigating the impact of the redevelopment on the nearby school was viewed as an issue of great importance when this site was considered by planning committee and the three specific conditions were imposed to this effect.“The planning enforcement team are monitoring the development of the site closely to ensure compliance with all the necessary conditions of the planning permission.”

David Loosemore, the managing director of developers Portabella, said: “We have considerable experience in delivering sophisticated construction projects within sensitive environments. In addition to ensuring that all works are conducted in accordance with statutory construction and associated health and safety regulations, we will engage and consult with neighbours to ensure that we take all steps to minimise our impact upon them. We have met with the school and its governors to discuss our plans and will take account of their concerns.”

Bryneithin was demolished after it was deemed to old to meet modern care requirements. The land was sold off in 2013.

An application to add an additional six houses to the site has also now been submitted. It will be considered in due course.