CONCERNS have been raised about the effect a housing development could have on village traffic if it is approved.

A councillor in Dinas Powys has said that some of the extra cars generated from the building of 215 houses on the former St Cyres School site would start to use Longmeadow Drive and Cross Common Road to gain access on to Cardiff Road with residents already noticing an increase in traffic anyway.

They point to a number of occasions recently where cars have knocked down walls and ended up in the front gardens of houses on the junction of Hazel Grove and Longmeadow Drive.

Conservative Vale councillor for Dinas Powys Cllr Rob Crowley said: “On at least three occasions cars have knocked down walls and ended up in the front gardens of houses on the Hazel Grove junction with Longmeadow Drive.

“I’m told nearly every bus and large vehicle mounts the pavement on the sharp bend. I shall be raising the matter with officers.”

Cllr Crowley is a member of the Dinas Powys Bypass Steering Group which recently voiced their opposition to the plans being put forward by Barratt Homes.

Last week the group hailed the news that the Vale council is considering bidding for City Deal funding for a potential bypass.

The bypass is included in two options being considered by the council as part of a traffic study in the village.

Stage two of the Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) will consider the bypass as a standalone solution and the bypass combined with a multi-modal approach involving public transport, walking and cycling.

The other two options being considered are a minimum approach and a multi-modal approach only.

The group said it understands that the application will not come before planning committee this month.

Their main objections to the plan include issues over road safety, drainage, walking and cycling access, the effect on the nearby Cardiff Road/Murch Road junction and the encroachment on bypass land.

The group says the line of the bypass was still reserved under the Unitary Development Plan, which was the only instrument of planning enforcement until June of this year when the LDP was registered.

The group also points to a report into the transport assessment carried out on behalf of the developers that questions the lack of emphasis put onto the extra traffic the development will generate.

It says that in future years the junction is forecast to be over capacity and will suffer significant congestion and delay.

The planning statement for the application states the site is capable of being developed in response to current policy, having full regard to the character of the site, ecological and landscape sensitivities and the surrounding area and incorporates a large area of community facilities and infrastructure.