The battle over a Lidl supermarket in the Vale of Glamorgan has reached the Welsh government, as residents fight to stop the store being built on land they say would blur the boundary between two villages.
The store, approved by Vale of Glamorgan council in 2024, is planned for a junction that separates Llantwit Major and Llanmaes. But an appeal launched by residents who oppose the development culminated in closing statements on Wednesday.
“Residents appeal to Welsh government to block Lidl store approved in 2024, citing harm to countryside and village identity.”
Sioned Davies, representing the campaign group Countryside Matters, told the hearing that the proposal would cause “real and acknowledged harm” to the landscape and blur the distinction between the two settlements. “The proposal is an unjustified major development in the open countryside… the benefits do not outweigh the harms,” she said. The development, she added, would not be accessible on foot or by bike, doing “little to achieve” the council’s active transport goals.
John Barrett, speaking for rival supermarkets Filco and Co-op, argued the 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 said.
But Gregory Jones KC, for Vale of Glamorgan council, defended the approval, calling 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 due to a dip in the ground, and argued the store would not erode the identities of the two villages because the road between them provided a “strong physical separating function”. He also claimed Llanmaes needed a “modern discount supermarket”.
Douglas Edwards KC, for Lidl, said the supermarket would improve the community by reducing the need to shop in towns like Barry. The proposal, he added, would not cause “unacceptable harm to the countryside” and had “unprecedented” support from residents.
But local residents remain unconvinced. Gail Kirkham, 70, from Llanmaes, said: “All we’re trying to do is protect the countryside.” She stressed they were not against supermarkets, just the location.
Linda Christmas, 63, echoed the fear of encroachment: “It will fundamentally change the nature of the village, with the amount of traffic coming in and out… Our concern is that we’ll end up joining up with Llantwit Major.”