A LATE entry to Members questions on March 4 at the Full Council meeting from Cllr Franks was remarkable for its staggering hypocrisy! The Member asked, under the title, traffic congestion in Dinas Powys

“Given the continued excessive traffic congestion through Dinas Powys what measures will the authority take to ensure that additional housing as proposed in the Local Development Plan does not make matters worse?”

Readers please note that two, [the other Plaid Barry member was absent], of Cllr Franks’ Plaid Group Members from Dinas Powys voted FOR consent to be granted to the first Local Development Plan-listed housing site in Dinas Powys to come up for planning consent on October 23, 2014! My own objections were read out at the meeting.

The site is at ‘Ardwyn’, which is a large imposing building in a very select area of Dinas Powys which had been used as a school. Yet another lost site used by our community following on from the loss to housing of Wesley Court Community Centre and, another beautiful imposing building, Bryneithin Care Home.

Staggeringly, these members had previously agreed with all other Dinas Powys Community Council Members, [except one Conservative member who declared an interest], to our proposal to spend Dinas Powys taxpayers’ hard-earned money to pay for planning experts to help us fight against all housing applications in the Local Development Plan for Dinas Powys due to the ‘excessive traffic congestion’!

This site is coming to planning again to increase the number of dwellings. As the only Independent Member of Dinas Powys Community Council and also as a Vale of Glamorgan Council Member I have objected and will continue to object to all major housing developments in Dinas Powys until the traffic and pollution problems are properly addressed.

Cllr Christopher Williams

Independent Member and Chairman of Scrutiny Committee Housing and Public Protection