A long-running campaign to save a village field from development has taken another turn.
The Save Sully and Lavernock Group submitted an application in 2021 to turn a piece of land off South Road in Sully, known as Glebe Fields, into a village green after it was considered for development by Vale of Glamorgan Council.
Campaigners, who hope turning the field into a village green will protect it, have been told that their application will now go to a public inquiry.
Members of the council'ss public protection committee were told in a meeting on Tuesday that the inquiry will allow the application to be dealt with transparently after the charity that owns the land objected to it.
However, one councillor raised concerns about how the council will be able to come across as fair and transparent when it is the sole trustee of the charity, Vale of Glamorgan Welsh Church Fund, and when it is the one appointing an independent chair for the enquiry.
Cllr Franks said: “Is that a good look? Will people understand the fine differences between the trust and the council when the trust is made up of councillors?"
“How can members of the public be reassured that the independent chair is in fact independent and will judge the matter in an impartial manner?”
Vale of Glamorgan Council considered Glebe Fields as a candidate site for its local development plan (LDP).
Council’s use LDPs to decide which sites can be used for future development, including house building and industrial or commercial activity.
A Go Fund Me page set up by campaigners to raise funds ahead of a public enquiry said Glebe Fields has been used for leisure activities by the local community for centuries and that a successful village green application will give residents continued “unrestrained” use of the land for leisure.
But the Vale of Glamorgan Welsh Church Fund objected to the village green application, with its chief argument being that it doesn’t think enough people use Glebe Fields for sports and other past times.
A council solicitor, Jocelyn Ham, said the local authority will appoint a suitably qualified independent chairperson from a group of barristers specialising in town or village green applications.
In response to Cllr Franks comments, she said: “We will approach a number of counsel…firstly I suppose [to] ask them about their availability."
“The very nature of their role is they are independent anyway and further to that… we are acting then as the registration authority."
“I don’t see how else we can overcome a perceived perception of not being impartial.”
Ms Ham added: “We will have a…procurement set up for all of our matters when we need to instruct a barrister so we will probably select somebody from that list."
“They will be an expert in that particular area and they will understand the need to be impartial in making recommendations to the committee.”
The Church of England in Wales was disestablished under the Welsh Church Act 1914 and its property and funds were distributed to various trusts.
Each of these trusts, overseen by councils in the areas they correspond to, look after the property and funds and make grants for a wide range of purposes including supporting education, social and recreational facilities, charities, healthcare and the arts.
Vale of Glamorgan Council’s website describes the Welsh Church Act fund in the county as a charitable trust that’s independent of the local authority.
The Charity Commission’s website has Vale of Glamorgan Council listed as the sole trustee of Vale of Glamorgan Welsh Church Fund.
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