Council facing legal threat over temporary refugee accommodation
A local resident is threatening legal action against the Vale of Glamorgan Council over the construction of a complex of modular homes to house Ukrainian refugees.
The Welsh local authority began construction on a former primary school site in 2023.
It has since completed building 90 temporary accommodation units aimed at providing short-term housing for refugees and “those in need”.
Steve McGranaghan, who lives nearby to the development, alleges that the council has developed the site “completely ignoring their own planning rules and the concerns of the local residents”.
He also claims the council “misled” residents about who will housed on the site and how long it is to remain there.
Works to build the complex began in 2023 under permitted development rights.
The council later applied for full planning permission as the site’s use was set to run beyond the 12-month period allowed for permitted development.
The application, which was submitted in November 2023, is yet to be approved and is currently awaiting consultation responses.
McGranaghan announced on Monday (29 April) that he had raised the £7,000 target needed to pay his barrister and a building planning consultant.
The Vale of Glamorgan Council has been approached for comment.
Adam Carey
