As this site has gone a bit quiet since the Stop the Spur petition was delivered to the Vale of Glamorgan Council, we thought it might be useful to post an update on what’s been happening with the proposal to build an unnecessary rail link from the Vale line to Cardiff airport.

So what’s been happening? Well, first there was a local council election in which the ruling Conservative group lost their grip on the council, and although the Labour party was unable to establish a ruling majority, they are leading the Council under Neil Moore.

An article in the Western Mail in May of this year offers a hint as to what is happening with the LDP (Local Development Plan) and what this might mean for the Spur proposal.

Councillor Moore is quoted in the article:

“As far as I’m concerned we have got to go back to the drawing board.”

The article quotes a range of issues that the Labour Group want to revisit, including proposals to build up to 10,000 houses in the Vale. This may mean that the Spur proposal comes back in a different form, and we may have to go through the whole consultation process again.

Indeed, a recent article in the Penarth Times seemed to confirm this, with Counsellor Lis Burnett saying:

“I have already sought advice as to how we can extend future consultation on the plan.

“I am also currently carrying out a review of the statutory LDP process and am considering the options available to us as a new administration.

“I am concerned at various elements of the plan as drafted and remain committed to ensuring that we do whatever is necessary to deliver a sustainable LDP for the Vale of Glamorgan,” she added.

“As a result, no decision has yet been taken as to the timescale for future consultation, although that consultation will be far more meaningful.”

So it looks like the LDP will come back, although we don’t know whether it’ll contain the Spur proposal this time. We’ll keep an eye on it, and make sure we let you know what’s going on.