The battle over a Lidl supermarket in the Vale of Glamorgan has reached the Welsh government, as residents argue the store would blur the boundary between two villages forever.
The supermarket was approved in 2024 by Vale of Glamorgan council for land at a junction separating Llantwit Major and Llanmaes. But residents opposed to the development launched an appeal, and during closing statements on Wednesday, Sioned Davies, representing the campaign group Countryside Matters, said the proposal would cause “real and acknowledged harm” to the landscape.
“Villagers appeal against Lidl store plans, arguing it would blur the boundary between Llanmaes and Llantwit Major.”
“The proposal is an unjustified major development in the open countryside... the benefits do not outweigh the harms,” Davies told the appeal hearing. She claimed the store would result in “clear degradation of the rural environment” and would not be accessible on foot or by bike, doing “little to achieve” council active transport goals.
John Barrett, for Filco and Co-op supermarkets, argued the proposed Lidl would be “out-of-centre” and change the “functional visual role of the site” irreversibly. “The site is not in a sustainable location and would be overly reliant on the use of private motorcars,” he added.
But Gregory Jones KC, representing Vale of Glamorgan council, called the proposal “a logical rounding off of Llantwit Major rather than an intrusion into untouched landscape”. He said little of the supermarket would be visible from Llanmaes because of a dip in the ground, and argued that a road between the two villages provided a “strong physical separating function”. He added that Llanmaes needed a “modern discount supermarket”.
Douglas Edwards KC, for Lidl, said the supermarket would improve the community by cutting the need to shop in towns like Barry. The proposal, he said, would not cause “unacceptable harm to the countryside” and had “unprecedented” support from residents.
Gail Kirkham, 70, from Llanmaes, said: “All we’re trying to do is protect the countryside.” She said they were not against supermarkets but just did not want one on that site.
Linda Christmas, 63, said: “It will fundamentally change the nature of the village, with the amount of traffic coming in and out, driving through the village, potentially, not just from the traffic light junction. Our concern is that we’ll end up joining up with Llantwit Major.”
Lidl’s Rhydian Griffiths said there had been “significant community support for a Lidl foodstore in this location”. The outcome of the appeal remains to be decided.