More than 600 people have signed a petition against plans to build 300 houses in Bedwas.
A decision on the development to the north of Pandy Road was deferred at a meeting on August 5 so that councillors can visit the site.
The application by Land Matters Ltd received 80 letters of objection, including one from Caerphilly AM Jeff Cuthbert who raised concerns about traffic.
The site would include a new road providing entry off Pandy Road, but is not part of the council’s planned housing development outline in the Local Development Plane (LDP).
Mr Cuthbert said: “My main concern is that the development will place an intolerable strain on the transport infrastructure, with just the one access and egress point on Pandy Road.”
A decision on the 20 acre site is now due to be made on September 9 and planning officers have recommended councillors approve the plans.
But resident Dorothy Phillips warned the development would have a “catastrophic” effect on Bedwas, especially its transport links.
She said: “The site proposed is prime agricultural land on a green field site outside the settlement limits of Bedwas.”
Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen councillor Derek Harvard labelled the plan “ridiculous”.
He said: “It’s a bad idea to put the estate there, just due to the traffic. It’s on a greenfield site, imposing on the countryside, which is just unnecessary.
The proposal is also “strongly opposed” by Bedwas Trethomas and Machen Community Council.
Cllr Lisa Jones, who sits on the community council and is standing for Labour in an upcoming by-election, said: “I am completely opposed to this housing development.
Not just because of the loss of our countryside but because of the pressure that the development would put on our local infrastructure and services.”
Plaid Cymru’s candidate for the by-election, Ron Davies said: “I am appalled at this prospect. The development would be an intrusion into the open countryside with the loss of a valuable rural landscape and environment. It would signal the end of Bedwas as a rural settlement.”
Ray Davies, the late Labour councillor, was also opposed to the development.
His widow Wendy Lewis said: “One of his last acts was to campaign against plans to build 300 houses on the outskirts of Bedwas.
“Such a development would choke the dangerous narrow country road to Maesycymmer – already a morning and evening ratrace- with hundreds more cars, and create a traffic nightmare.”
This report takes Labours proposed development of this site to a new demension. ALL candidates standing in the bedwas election are totally opposed to it. And, according to this report, is another sitting local labour Councillor, together with Labour AM Jeff Cuthbert.
As there is so much local opposition from Residents, from the Labour AM, from sitting Labour Councillors, from the local Labour Candidate, who also happens to be local labour community Councillor, WHY is the Caerphilly LABOUR BOROUGH COUNCIL, in charge in Ystrad Mynach, promoting the development?????
Who is pulling who`s strings????? It seems to me that local Councillors who represent Labour in this ward are in conflict with their party leaders and other labour councillors on Caerphilly Council, is there a need for change and let another candidate have a go? Look at the development in Ystrad Mynach, against residents and local Councillors wishes, the proposed Hendredenny Housing development, against residents and local Councillors wishes, will it be, The Bewas Development against residents and Local Councillors wishes, if so change the Councillors.
This proposed development must be stopped or houses will eventually reach Llanbradach
Now is opportunity for the people of Bedwas to change your Councillors, Labour on the Borough Council want this development. Why elect more of them???
Once more an example of councillors opposing further destruction of the open spaces in the Caerffili basin, residents opposing the plans too, and yet…
“planning officers have recommended councillors approve the plans.”
Council officers have, over many years, been leading the chase and have been busy promoting plans that nobody seems to want apart from ‘developers’ who don’t live around here and the said officers. This was equally true when Plaid controlled the council.
To me the next move is simple, reject the plan. This also applies to the sale of a strip of access land that the council owns near Hendredenny and to the ridiculous idea of building roads and houses on the mountain south of the town.
Has anybody asked the working families who want to buy these houses not the NIMBY’s who hate change?
It is not about hating change Katie, change is a natural part of life. The issue here is whether we think it is important or not to prevent our open spaces being covered in concrete, our schools become more crowded, our health care to worsen, our roads become even busier, our air quality to deteriorate with greater traffic and half dozen other things that will impact on the living standards of the people who already live here.
It is no accident that every single by-election candidate, our AM and the late Cllr. Ray Davies all voiced their opposition to this plan. I think it is a bit harsh to dismiss both them and the people who signed a petition as NIMBYs. You are free to disagree and support houses being built if that is what you feel, you can campaign for more houses to be built if you want but, like it or not, there is a growing realisation that we are losing something that is valuable to us as a society. That ‘something’ is farmland to feed us and open spaces to walk in and take joy from. I think we owe it to the children and generations as yet unborn to make a stand and protect as much land from building as we can.
I understand that but the fact is Bedwas is an ageing village. People are living a lot longer and young people who want to live in and bring their children up in their village are having to move away to get a start in life.
Schools in Bedwas are joining classes this year as there isn’t enough children, also the porposal of one head for both schools will only end in emalgimation. This shows there is not enough young families in the village to keep it going.
Won’t this also be good for local business, it’s not like 300 people will appear in the fruit and veg shop at once! I do my shopping in the village and often don’t see a soul, it would nice to see the village with people in it using the local amenities
Where should the houses be built instead? You have less than 2 years’ land supply, the council has a duty to provide sufficient land for housing.
As we were not asked for comment I would like to confirm that UKIP and our candidate Bobby Douglas who is standing in the Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen by-election on Sept 3rd is strongly against the development of the 300 homes.
This further supports a point I made previously about editorial bias in the amount of coverage each party is given. There are several developments proposed all over Caerphilly – even one in an area where another UKIP candidate is standing in an upcoming by-election – but this paper gives all of the attention to Labour and Plaid Cymru.
If this paper was used as a source for news you would never think the Conservatives exist, and UKIP exist (the first and third largest parties in the country).
Second and third parties in Caerphilly Constituency
This makes it even more baffling why the fourth party receives more attention that the second and third party combined.
Do you find the press is in the habit of asking unelected members of political parties for the opinions on planning matters Sam?
Caerphilly does not have a UKIP MP or any UKIP councillors so not really surprised they weren’t asked…
150,000 new houses needed in UK every year because of insane immigration policies. The native Brits aren’t having enough kids so this need has to come from somewhere, are we to assume it’s all coming from family breakups or is it in fact hundreds of thousands more new Brits every year?
We are seeing the trickle down effect in local boroughs across the land, more houses to prop the debt based economy as the the income wage tax isn’t covering it any more and hasn’t for a while now.
Move over as Kent is full and we need more room. The government doesn’t care about local details they just want more room because London is full.
The little shop of horrors springs to mind.
What rubbish. Net international migration to the Caerphilly area has been negative since 2008 and has been negative for 7 out of the last 10 years (see council report Oct 2014). The need for 300 new homes comes from movement into the area from other parts of the UK and natural growth and the fact that Caerphilly’s land supply is much too low.
That was a short sighted response. Are you telling me that 150000 immigrants a year can have no knock on effect on Caerphilly? Are we completely immune from the rest of the UK? Are these people moving into Caerphilly coming from nowhere or are they being pushed from other parts of the UK where overcrowding is an issue, because of immigration? Which is what I was suggesting weeks ago when I made the original post.
Of course those figures you quote don’t take into account those 300 new homes that will come, but then again they wouldn’t. That was kind of the point in not wanting 300 new houses.
I hope you came from a position of naivety rather than malice.
Pete – it is not just me saying it, the facts are saying it! The vast majority of people moving into Caerphilly are doing so from neighbouring areas in South Wales, one of the least densely populated regions of the UK. If there is a knock-on effect as you describe it is so small it is unable to be measured. My position is neither naivety nor malice, but based on actually reading things and forming an educated opinion rather than simply blaming “immigrants” for all the woes of this country.
Ah that old chestnut. The facts as described by whom and are there any other facts that contradict them? Are we reading all the facts in context. Can these facts that form your opinion be slightly ambiguous, for instance are Caerphilly and South Wales always so interchangeable as they are in your post? Can figures and statistics be manipulated to say what ever the manipulated want to read?
I can’t believe you are naive enough to think that massive immigration since 1999 hasn’t had an impact on Caerphilly and we have been totally insulated from it.
In the last 16 years since I bought my house it has tripled in value. Tripled! And immigration has introduced 3 to 4 million new people to our shores in that time (official stats- read conservative) and your telling me that there is no connection? Like I said naive.
At no point did I blame immigrants for anything, I have traveled extensively and lived in two different countries other than this one for short periods. I don’t blame even an economic immigrant for wanting to come here. I just know it’s having a negative effect on many things including house prices and availability throughout our nation and refuse to turn a blind eye to it.
We need to say yes, there is no where to buy a house in Bedwas ????
As a resident of Bedwas all my life I have been looking for a year for a bigger house, when one comes for sale they sell so quick. The last one was sold in 3 days. You basically got a wait for someone to die to get a house.
I need to stay here for my child’s school and childcare but also need a bigger house, there is also no small first time buyer houses in Bedwas. For young adults moving out there is not anywhere for them to stay in the village they grew up in, it’s a sad state of affairs.
Your point and your plight are very valid but I don’t think more houses are the answer.
Two houses in my street alone ( that I know of ) have been sold to people from outside the area wishing to downsize and escape areas that have become something else compared to what they used to be. I don’t blame them but it is a factor as their demographic often have more capital because of age and originating from an area of higher house prices. This flight is more relevant to your problem than lack of new builds. Although I will admit there are other factors such as single occupancy and ageing population as you mentioned.