First Occupants Expected at Llantwit Major Temporary Housing Site

The initial occupants are anticipated to relocate into modular units situated on a previously used school plot, which has undergone transformation for urgent accommodation purposes. Ninety provisional residences have been erected in Llantwit Major, within the Vale of Glamorgan, designated for Ukrainian refugees and households listed on the local authority’s housing queue. The local council initiated this undertaking by utilizing permitted development rights, which exempted it from immediately obtaining planning permission. Residents voiced objections, arguing that a consultation process should have occurred, particularly given the proximity of some cabins to their private gardens. Subsequently, the initiative received approval from the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s planning and building control departments, granting authorization for the structures to remain on site for at least five years. Lis Burnett, the council leader, stated that the location would play a crucial role in alleviating strain on the existing housing supply and “represents a far more dignified solution” compared to accommodating individuals in hotels. Nevertheless, local residents persist in their opposition to the council’s management of the project and have gathered financial resources to pursue legal proceedings. Additionally, concerns have been raised suggesting that the land should have been allocated for a new medical facility to alleviate demands on local healthcare provisions. The council indicated that it had engaged in discussions with the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board concerning the potential use of the former Eagleswell Primary School grounds for a healthcare establishment. Kateryna, who, along with her son Timur, departed Ukraine in 2022, informed the Local Democracy Reporting Service earlier this month that they relocated to a hostel in July, having resided with sponsors for the preceding two years. She stated, “Our sponsors, we are so grateful for them because they waited and waited and they didn’t ask us to leave them.” Kateryna added, “But the circumstances [became] worse and we had to move this summer.” She mentioned that they had been residing in a compact hostel room in Barry with all their belongings, including two cats, as they await their transfer to the new housing complex. Kateryna also noted that the scheduled opening date for the site, now named Heol Croeso, had been postponed from June. She expressed, “It probably wouldn’t be an issue if we would stay here for a month… but staying here longer and having to deliver my son to school every day, it affects me.” Occupants at the location will incur a fixed weekly charge of £174.27, in addition to a £40.72 service fee for utilities, amounting to £860 every four weeks.