SO the latest plan by the Walters Group, or Walters Land (Barry) Ltd as this branch are called, to develop Walters Farm is in.

They have obviously decided the original plan for 600 houses was a no go. The ecological report completed in 2013 clearly identified this site as special.

The latest report mentions the call to designate the site as a site of special scientific interest but also seems to big up the efforts the developers will make to minimise the impact of the new plans for 200 houses.

There seems little concern that by demolishing the farmhouse and buildings there will be an impact on the roosting and foraging bats that are protected by European law. There is little interest in the impact on breeding birds that are on the red list (endangered). The ancient woodland is already designated a SSSI which should offer some protection but seems to have little concern.

I personally have no faith in the developers to honour any obligations to protect this very sensitive site.

Apart from the ecological impact of any development on this site and that of green farm there is the enormous impact any further development along Port Road will have on businesses and commuters who already suffer from the daily gridlock.

Port Road has been over capacity for many years, the development at Pencoedtre (also ancient woodland destroyed) has caused more congestion and the appalling loss of White Farm to more housing has compounded the problem and lost the town an important and loved site of historical interest.

The ongoing Development at Culverhouse Cross will cause more misery .

With a further 2000 homes being built on the Waterfront the traffic up the link road will increase and Barry will be well and truly strangled.

There are and have been many developments in Barry recently all of which surely add up to the hugely inflated need insisted upon by the Vale of Glamorgan (double the projected need) now we should surely be determined to do the right thing for our town, it's businesses and the residents instead of putting first the profit making developers who have fleeced enough from us and destroyed much of our landscape.

Sue Eldridge

Westward Rise