The Vale of Glamorgan Council has squashed all talk of Penarth town centre pedestrianisation during a conversation with Nub News.

Although some members of Penarth Town Council and other local groups advocate plans to significantly reduce traffic flow through the town centre, Vale councillors have said proposals put forward to them are inadequately detailed and lack evidence of widespread support.

"The Vale of Glamorgan Council has no plans to pedestrianise Penarth town centre," began Cllr Ben Gray, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care.

"The point is, we welcome people submitting ideas but this hasn't really happened yet - what we've been issued amounts to little more than a press release," chimed in Vale Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Performance & Resources Neil Moore.

"Once that idea is submitted we will scrutinise it to see if it's feasible or not because there are lots of variables you have to remember. Are people going to want to come in? Where will they park up? It's not a case of 'here's the plan, get on with it.' It's a case of 'give us the plan and we'll scrutinise it to see what is feasible and what is practical within the resources available. And resources doesn't only mean money, by the way."

A fully costed proposal has indeed not yet been submitted to the Vale Council. However, a detailed proposal was issued on 20 August after a survey seemed to suggest local businesses were in favour of changes to the town centre.

Cllr Peter King, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services and Transport, does not think the survey results were conclusive:

"I don't want to be horrible to anybody, but the Penarth Town survey said things like: 'do you think there is a problem with congestion in Penarth?' and 'do you think there ought to be some improvement?', and that's been conflated into a pedestrianisation plan.

"We're yet to see anything that says with any authority that Penarth businesses really want this, and at this time that is really what matters."

Lis Burnett, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration said:

"We have allocated £500,000 towards upgrading work across all five town centres in the Vale to look at how they can be improved. This will entail working with urban designers who communicate with local groups in the town and tell us what can be achieved.

"We want to support local business and make the high street feel safer and more approachable. But this moment is probably not the right one to be ripping up vast swathes of our town centres.

"[If we receive a proper proposal], it would need proper discussion and proper scrutiny. That proposal would then form part of the background information we pass on to the urban designers."

Penarth Nub News has so far been unable to contact Nigel Humphrey - the Penarth Town councillor most closely involved in the pedestrianisation drive - for comment.

Updates to follow.