Village could lose green for new homes
A VILLAGE in the Vale of Glamorgan is set to lose its “beautiful” village green to plans for new social housing.
Six houses and four flats could soon be built on land north of Maes-YFfynon, in Bonvilston, as part of the Vale of Glamorgan council’s house building programme.
But villagers in Bonvilston are fighting the plans by registering the land as a village green, which could prevent the Vale council receiving planning permission build there.
Ian Perry, a councillor on the St Nicholas with Bonvilston community council, told the Vale council’s planning committee it should refuse permission for the social housing.
He said: “The proposed 10 homes will replace the village green.
“The residents’ association and the community to council are acting jointly to officially register this village green in Bonvilston.”
However registering a village green can take a long time, and the council said there is other public open space nearby.
Vicky Robinson, Vale council planner, said: “The village green application is a separate process to this planning application, and shouldn’t be used as a reason to refuse planning permission.”
But councillors on the planning committee voted to defer the decision on whether to grant permission until after the village green is registered.
Councillor Christine Cave said: “We’re deciding to give away somebody’s village green and very important open space. It really is a green oasis. It’s a beautiful little green site. I’m not surprised that the people who live there want to call it their village green.
“I can’t believe that we want the first thing we do as a committee after Covid-19 is not only sweep away somebody’s green space that has been there for a long time, but we also want to build houses where we’re going to give people hardly any space.
“This should be paused until the village green matter is settled.
“I don’t believe as a council we should be building on anybody’s village green, certainly not given the circumstances that we have just been through in the last few months.
“I think the council is acting in an unneighbourly way here.”
Councillors also raised concerns about the plans to chop down 22 trees to make way for the houses, including six trees covered by protection orders.
The council said it would plant 14 new trees.