DAMAGE to roads in Dinas Powys thought to be caused by heavy vehicles working on the former St Cyres School development site will be compensated for after the work is finished, Vale of Glamorgan Council has said.

The Vale council, who sold the land to Barratt Homes prior to the development, say the company will fork out the costs and replace the damage caused at Murch Road and Murch Crescent.

The development – consisting of 215 new homes at the former school site – is likely to be finished in two years, Cllr Chris Franks said, adding that is too long to wait for the “long-suffering” residents.

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Cllr Franks accused the Vale council of “taking advantage of the Covid crisis and keeping secret what is happening in the civic offices” with regards to road resurfacing, after he said his requests for information were ignored regarding resurfacing at Westra.

“The Vale roads are falling apart,” he said. “The state of major highways across the county is a disgrace. The council has a duty to keep the public up to speed.

“The public are being denied important information about road maintenance plans in the Vale.”

Fellow Plaid Community Councillor Richard Grigg added: “We are being treated with contempt. In Dinas Powys roads such as Murch Road and Crescent are near collapse. I wonder if the Vale is embarrassed at their failure to keep the street up to standard.”

A council spokesman said: “Murch Road/Crescent is currently being used by heavy goods vehicles connected to a nearby development and we are working with developers to keep the road in a safe condition.

“Once work is completed, a full survey will be conducted and any repairs carried out by the developer.

“Under current Welsh Government restrictions, traditional public meetings cannot take place for safety reasons, but plans are under way to hold these virtually and we hope to make an announcement on this in the near future.

“In the last two years the council has spent £2.5 million on highway resurfacing, which is significantly more than the £2.1 million necessary to maintain its condition, and has led to an improvement in overall standard.

“In total, 69 roads underwent surface improvements in 2018/19 and another 74 roads were treated in 2019/20.”

The construction at the former school on Murch Road is part of the Local Development Plan that will see 10,000 new homes built in the Vale of Glamorgan over the next eight years.

Permission had been granted in February 2018, despite criticisms of the impact that the new site would have on congestion in and around Dinas Powys, which, planning officers confirmed, is already at maximum capacity.