Visible Services
Environmental & Economic Regeneration-Director, Rob
Quick
The Visible Services Division is located at the Alps Depot,
Wenvoe. It deals with those day-to-day services that have the
greatest impact on the public. Its main functions are:
Waste Management and Cleansing
This service deals with the wide ranging challenges of the
'waste agenda'. As well as providing a highly regarded waste
collection service, it is also dealing with the increasing need to
recycle waste. This service also deals with street cleansing,
collection of litter and dog fouling.
Highway Maintenance
This service maintains the highways and pavements throughout the
Vale of Glamorgan. There are some 1013 kms of highway and this
needs to be maintained and improved to meet the ever-increasing
demands of traffic and cycling/pedestrian use.
Parks and Grounds Maintenance
This service maintains all the Council's parks and open spaces,
as well as providing a tree maintenance function. Many parts of the
Vale have a high 'green spaces' element, particularly in those
areas such as Barry Island and Penarth where parks and tourism use
are important. This service also maintains road verges, traffic
roundabouts and other public open space areas.
Engineering Design
This Group deals with traffic management issues, as well as the
maintenance of major highway structures, such as road bridges. It
also deals with strategic transportation issues, such as the
planning, justification and designing of new road links.
The Council has recently set up a Contact Centre to deal with
Visible Service enquiries and its telephone number is 02920
673000.
Building and Vehicle Services
Building Services
This service is also based at the Alps Depot, Wenvoe. Its main
function is the maintenance of the Council's housing stock, which
is carried out in partnership with the Council's Housing
Department. The service is also responsible for the Council's own
public and commercial buildings, as well as for the cleaning and
security of these buildings, including schools. The Group is also
dealing with the challenge of asbestos management in Council
buildings.
Vehicle Services
This service manages and maintains the Council's fleet of
vehicles for all Departments.
Planning and Transportation
Development Control
This Group deals with 1800+ planning applications that are
received by the Council each year. The Vale of Glamorgan is an area
of increasing development, and therefore this Group implements the
comprehensive legislation in relation to planning consent,
enforcement and the planning appeal system.
Building Control
This Group implements the Building Acts, and the requirement for
developers and individuals to comply with Building Regulations in
relation to new development, extensions and adaptations to
buildings.
Planning Policy and Transportation
This Group produces the main land use planning document of the
Council, the Unitary Development Plan, as well as associated
documents such as the Local Transport Plan, Supplementary Planning
Guidance, and various Conservation Area Appraisals. The Group also
deals with a wide range of transportation issues such as schools
transport, subsidised bus services and developments to the rail
network, such as the imminent re-opening of the Vale of Glamorgan
Line to passenger services. The Group also deals with road safety
and works closely with others, including schools, in promoting road
safety education.
Economic Development and Leisure
Leisure and Tourism
This Group operates the Council's Leisure Centres at Barry,
Penarth, Cowbridge and Llantwit Major. It is responsible for
improving the service to meet the increasing leisure demands of
society, and has established a highly successful gym initiative
called 'Lifestyle', at all four Leisure Centres. The Group also
deals with tourism and the promotion of the Vale of Glamorgan as a
visitor destination. It operates seasonal Tourist Information
Centres at Penarth and Barry Island.
Economic Development
This service spearheads Economic Regeneration in areas such as Barry Waterfront,
Barry Town Centre and the St. Athan site. It works closely with the
Welsh Development Agency in developing initiatives to regenerate,
in particular, Barry including a proposal to re-locate part of UWIC
to Nell's Point in Barry. The section has also been successful in
the development of a Rural Regeneration Strategy, in partnership
with a range of rural bodies. The Council also has a Project
Management Unit which manages the development of many of these key
projects such as Barry Town Hall, Knap Pool reclamation and Penarth
Heights.
Countryside and Environmental Projects
This section deals with a wide range of rural issues aimed at
protecting the Vale's attractive countryside, particularly within
the context of increasing urban pressures. It has developed a
number of initiatives, including woodland development, through Coed
Cymru, the development of Public Rights of Way and a local
authority Countryside Strategy. The Group also manages the popular
Cosmeston Country Park, Porthkerry Country Park and the nationally
renowned Glamorganshire Heritage Coast.