Council facing legal threat over temporary refugee accommodation
A local resident is threatening legal action against the Vale of Glamorgan Council over the construction of a complex of modular homes to house Ukrainian refugees.
The Welsh local authority began construction on a former primary school site in 2023.
It has since completed building 90 temporary accommodation units aimed at providing short-term housing for refugees and "those in need".
Steve McGranaghan, who lives nearby to the development, alleges that the council has developed the site "completely ignoring their own planning rules and the concerns of the local residents".
He also claims the council "misled" residents about who will housed on the site and how long it is to remain there.
Works to build the complex began in 2023 under permitted development rights.
The council later applied for full planning permission as the site's use was set to run beyond the 12-month period allowed for permitted development.
The application, which was submitted in November 2023, is yet to be approved and is currently awaiting consultation responses.
McGranaghan announced on Monday (29 April) that he had raised the £7,000 target needed to pay his barrister and a building planning consultant.
A Vale of Glamorgan Council spokesperson said: “This site has long been earmarked for residential development, a fact referenced in the Council’s Local Development Plan.
“Permitted Development Rights, which allow for construction without planning permission, are in place for one year from the start of work, which was in June 2023.
“A planning application for this site is also being considered by the Council and officers will take into account representations received by neighbours as part of that process.”
Commenting on the figures, Cllr Darren Rodwell, Housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “People want their local area to have high-quality affordable homes built in the right places, supported by the right infrastructure.
"The reality is that planning is not a barrier to house building with nine in 10 planning applications approved by councils.”
Adam Carey
