Fears as Cadoxton House in Barry to be used for homeless

Cadoxton House, on the corner of Oldmill Road and Little Moors Hill, is set to be converted into apartments to house the homeless.

The woman, who lives near the former community centre and doesn’t want to be named for fear of a “backlash”, says while not everyone who will be housed there will be “bad”, she is concerned about the effect the use of the building could have, especially being situated so close to a school.

Formally hosting drop-in sessions for members of the public, meeting rooms and office space, Cadoxton House sits a stone’s throw away from Cadoxton Primary and Victoria Park.

Vale of Glamorgan Council, who own the building, have a change of use planning application in with council planners for the site to be turned into 13 self-contained studio flats.

On the proposals, the woman said: “I am not saying everyone who is moving there is going to be bad, but it will have an affect on people living round here.

“The biggest concern for us is it is down the road from the school.”

Cadoxton House sits in a dense residential area (Image: Google Maps)

Another resident wrote to Barry and District: “Cadoxton already has massive issues with drugs, violence, anti-social behaviour and depravation and the council want to add this next to an excellent school and the park.”

It's a stone's throw away from Cadoxton Primary (Image: Google Maps)

The woman is not just angry about the change of use of the building, but also because she says she has been given just eight days to respond to the changes.

Local residents are supposed to be given 21 days to respond to proposed changes, but she says she only got a letter through the door about the proposals with eight days to respond.

The woman went on to say: “We walk past Cadoxton House everyday. Is this place going to get worse if this opens? It’s just a worry.”

And Victoria Park. Residents are concerned about the affects on the area if it's turned to a homeless shelter (Image: Google Maps)

• Read more: Cadoxton House in Barry could be used to house the homeless

A Vale Council spokesperson responded by saying: “Wales is currently in the grip of a housing crisis with levels of homelessness at an all-time high and waiting lists for accommodation longer than ever before. The Vale is no exception.

“This particular project will bring a previously empty former office block back into use, providing single people already in the Vale with a place to live when otherwise they would have nowhere.

“This will be a high-quality development, carefully managed by staff.

“There are consequences for people who exhibit antisocial behaviour, whether homeless or not.

“The council has procedures in place to deal with such issues, while people living in this development will be subject to the same laws as everyone else.”

Right or wrong? Help the homeless, or wrong area? Are you a local resident who fears this change of use? How do you feel it will effect you?

Let us know, emailing harry.jamshidian@newsquest.co.uk.

Got a story in Barry? Email harry.jamshidian@newsquest.co.uk.