A temporary development of short term housing has been built on the site of a former primary school in Llantwit Major, South Wales. The buildings are specifically to address the needs of refugees, including those from Ukraine, for a period of up to five years. The 90 modular homes will be completed by the end of this summer.
Work on site began on the temporary development in 2023, through the use of Permitted Development Rights. A planning application has since been submitted to the Vale of Glamorgan Council, which is believed to have already spent £25 million on the project. The planning committee must now review the visual impact of the development and its impact on neighbouring properties as well as local housing need, parking, highway safety, ecology and the provision of green infrastructure.
The general election got in the way of the planning committee’s consideration of the application and it will be considered in July 2024. Until planning permission is granted, no families will be able to move into the properties.
The site of the temporary housing is on current local development land and there have been discussions about using the land for a new health centre. However, any permanent development of the site will be subject to public consultation.
Local residents have mixed views over the development, with one describing it as resembling a “prison”. Some of the structures are built very close to the boundaries of existing properties. Resident Steve McGranaghan said that he had volunteered to host Ukrainian families so did not have an issue with refugees. However, he believed that, under planning guidelines, the properties should be built a distance of 21 metres from his property but were only ten metres away.
A residents action group has raised £7,000 to secure legal support against the housing.
The length of time the accommodation might be needed is unknown but the council has said that, once the conflict in Ukraine has ended, time will be allowed for the country to stabilise and for nationals to then be repatriated.
Once the structures are no longer required, they will be moved to other locations in the Vale of Glamorgan, dependent upon local need and land availability.
There has been significant rise in homeless applications in the area over the last two years, and the modular homes may be used to support homeless families in the future. Over 200 families in the area are currently housed in temporary accommodation, including hotels and B&Bs, and an average of four new cases arise every week. Families usually have to wait for up to three months before moving into permanent housing while single households wait for around 18 months.