A BARRY resident has come forward in support of the White Farm protesters, but says people need to clean the place up.

Gerald Bushen, 57, of Barry Road has joined the decade long debate over the future of the Colcot site.

He told the News: "Every day, twice a day, I walk my dog along White Farm and The Pastures. The amount of rubbish I see is terrible. People block the hedges with old mattresses and sofas. I've even seen rusting cookers and washing machines just dumped. While the Vale of Glamorgan Council is very good at coming to help clear it away, it still spoils what is perhaps the last remaining green belt in the Colcot. "I don't want the area to be lost for good, but it should kept beautiful."

The battle to keep White Farm from being sold for development is a hot topic in Barry, especially in the Colcot area. For nearly ten years, the land near Whitewell Road has been wrangled over by residents and the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

Now an advertisement placed by the local authority in the Barry and District News has sparked a fresh wave of protest.

The advert revealed that the local authority planned to dispose of the public open space adjacent to the public highway.

Although this small piece of land is not big enough to develop, rumours are spreading that it would be used to create a roundabout for a new housing estate planned for the future.

A Vale of Glamorgan council spokesman said: "No formal planning applications have been placed in connection with the proposed sale of land near Whitewell Road. Objections have been received in response to the advertisement. This matter will now be sent to the scrutiny committee for further consultation in the coming weeks."

But Mr Bushen added: "It's a lovely area and it's some of the only green belt we've got left. It should be made worth fighting for."