I WAS very surprised to read that Cllr Burnett had seen fit to criticise both MP Alun Cairns and AM Andrew Davies about comments they have apparently made in connection with the Vale Councils draft Local Development Plan (LDP) (Penarth Times, January 23).

Of course I can appreciate why Cllr Burnett may well prefer it that nobody voices their concern about the Vale's Draft LDP or indeed takes issue with the subsequent comments made by the Welsh Government (WG) but I'm afraid the issue is of such importance to residents of the Vale that we should actually be thanking Messrs Cairns and Davies for their comments not criticising them.

It is my personal opinion that the council's planners have produced a Draft LDP which abjectly fails to meet the needs of the Vale's population. Of equal concern to me is that the WG have made comments about the Draft LDP which appear to be at complete variance with their own Planning Policies for Wales. For example, I understood that WG Planning Policy was deliberately focussed on encouraging the development of brown field sites. However, when one examines the LDP it appears that a significant majority of the sites proposed for development are on land designated as green field. Furthermore planners have seen fit to limit the amounts of countryside are to be kept or earmarked as green wedges. One such example is the proposed Wimpey scheme planned for Sully also covered in some detail in the Penarth Times, January 23, 2014.

Perhaps Cllr Burnett would like to explain to us firstly, how the WG can justify encouraging the Vale Council to build 500 New Homes on Agricultural Land at Cog and secondly, how residents of Penarth who happen to live on Sully Road and Redlands Road, Penarth will cope with the additional volumes of traffic this particular development will generate?

David Phipps

Sully

Penarth