Hundreds of new homes ‘strain on public services’
HUNDREDS of homes being built near Llantwit Major are stretching local public services like schools and surgeries, a councillor has claimed.
The town in the Vale of Glamorgan is rapidly growing as planning permission has been granted for hundreds of new houses.
But as its population grows, there are calls to invest in public services in the town too, to cater for the new people living there.
Vale of Glamorgan council said thousands of pounds from housing developers will go towards improving community facilities. But schools and surgeries remain an issue.
Llantwit First Independent councillor Gwyn John said: “When I attended the governors’ meeting at Llantwit Major Comprehensive School in March, we were told by the head teacher that the school was now full and could not take any more pupils at the present time.
“It is very clear that Llantwit Major does not have the infrastructure to accommodate further development in the area with 490 homes planned in the area of the town.
“We’ve currently got 370 houses in St Athan being built, we’ve got another 240 on the list, there’s further development in St Athan coming up. In the long term, we have got to take this into real consideration, while we have this opportunity now.”
The issues were raised during a meeting of the Vale council on Monday. The school has enough places for at least the next six years, deputy leader Cllr Lis Burnett said; while housing developers are funding thousands towards improvements in the town like the tennis club, council leader Neil Moore said.
Cllr Burnett said: “Llantwit Major is a popular and successful school and is regularly fully subscribed as a result of the admissions from outside its catchment area. It does, however, appropriately serve its catchment community.
“Pupil projections for the next six years indicate there are places available for pupils residing out of the catchment after all local pupils are accommodated. The number of places available for noncatchment pupils range from zero in September 2022 due to a high birth year, increasing to 39 spaces in September 2027. Pupil projections are monitored closely in order to respond to any changes in demand.”
Cllr Moore said: “I do understand that new developments can have an impact on existing community infrastructure and also create a need for improved facilities, including school places, parks, public transport.
“In these cases, planning obligations serve an important role in delivering these facilities.
“Section 106 examples include £238,000 for developments at Plasnewydd farm and land adjacent to Llantwit Major bypass to support community facilities, particularly things like Llantwit Major changing rooms.
“There’s also a £20,000 grant to Llantwit Major tennis club for new flood lighting and fencing, and again that has come from Plasnewydd Farm, and the potential for up to £69,000 for the play area at Windmill Lane using Section 106, again from Plasnewydd Farm.”