Vale of Glamorgan Council has been criticised over its handling of the Aqua Park pilot at Cosmeston Lakes.
The Conservative group put forward a motion at a meeting on Monday, expressing concern over the decision to allow the controversial water park attraction to go ahead.
Council officials and cabinet members argue the attraction, which opened on July 5th, will bring in much needed revenue that can be used to improve and maintain Cosmeston Country Park and that it will provide job opportunities.
But the opening of the site, located at the eastern lake, has caused anger among a number of residents who fear the impact it will have on the environment.
A petition opposing the scheme has so far gained more than 7,400 signatures.
Cllr George Carroll, leader of the Conservative group, called Cosmeston a peaceful and quiet location that was “not suitable for a development of this nature” and criticised the level of engagement between the council and local residents before the scheme went ahead.
The council's cabinet members discussed the plans for an Aqua Park at Cosmeston in March and the scheme was also looked at by the local authority’s environmental scrutiny committee before a licence agreement was signed in April.
However, discussions about the Aqua Park plans go back as far as last January.
Local councillors said they did not find out about the plans for an Aqua Park site until March.
Cllr Anthony Ernest, who represents the Conservatives in the Plymouth ward, said: "I think the way in which the matter has come to scrutiny and to cabinet has all been back to front. I think it has been very badly handled."
“I think if the council is going to do this sort of thing again it should be very careful to consult with its local members.”
Cllr Chris Franks, who represents Plaid Cymru in Dinas Powys, said he thought the plans had been dealt with badly.
The motion, put forward by Cllr Carroll and seconded by his colleague, Cllr Rhys Thomas, also called on the leader of the council, Cllr Lis Burnett, to apologise for suggesting that campaigners opposed to the water park were spreading “malicious tripe” in a social media post.
Cllr Burnett called the motion a “direct and personal attack” on her and suggested her comments on social media had been taken out of context.
In a Facebook post about Cosmeston Lakes on June 15th, the council leader posted: “It has been alleged that it [the Aqua Park plan] was not discussed by cabinet nor scrutiny and rushed through by emergency powers."
“That is malicious tripe and is being dealt with separately.”
The leisure attraction at Cosmeston Lakes is currently being piloted until September. After this, the council will carry out a full evaluation of the pilot and decide if it will go out to tender for someone to operate an attraction on site for the following season.
Cllr Burnett and deputy leader, Cllr Bronwen Brooks, insisted all the proper checks were carried out before Aqua Park opened.
This included the completion of an ecology report and water quality monitoring, which is something that will carry on throughout the pilot period.
Cllr Brooks said the Aqua Park decision came about because more activities and opportunities for leisure at Cosmeston Park was something people in Penarth had asked for in a consultation carried out through the Placemaking Plan for Penarth process.
She added: "Everything I have seen…I am content that wildlife is protected on Cosmeston Lake which is absolutely paramount to us."
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