Hundreds gather at Cosmeston lake to protest Aqua Park

South Wales Argus

3 hours ago

At the heart of the protest was 22-year-old Ciara Hay, who spoke through tears about how much the lake has meant to her since childhood.
'They say they are doing this for young people, but no one I know my age wants this'
'I remember seeing all this wildlife as a kid, and the passion that I have for nature and bird life is so deep in my spirit, and I've seen the decline of the birds throughout my whole life now, and especially five years ago with the bird flu that happened here, so many swans have moved on, so many birds have died, and It's just started recovering.
'There's one family of moorhens that have chicks on that side of the lake, one, and there used to be so many, and it's so sad to see in my lifetime the decline of wildlife here, and I'm thinking, it's already a very delicate ecosystem as is, and just doing this is going to scare off so many animals, and it's going to frighten them, and it's going to be loud and noisy.'
Ciara Hay protesting at Cosmeston lake (Image: Nikita Singh) Ciara fears younger generations won't experience the beauty and stillness she grew up with.
She also shared a traumatic memory from her teens.
She added: 'There's a sign right there saying do not swim in the water, this has never been a safe place to swim, there is jagged metal in this water, and you can't see it.
When I was about 15, I went swimming over there and I got a massive cut in my leg just from swimming, and there being a jagged piece of metal in the water, it's not safe. And there's so much virus and bird poo in the water, I don't know how they have justified that after years, literally decades of them saying it's not safe to swim, it's ridiculous'.
One of the organisers, Sar Williams, urged people to focus their anger.
'As much as we are all angry, we have to redirect our anger to very specific areas and very specific people. This is going to create enough of a whirl to actually stop this aqua park. We need people, we need to hear what you feel.'
'I've even heard there was a zipline planned for the park once. It was passed but then taken back because of strong opposition. We will do the same again'.
Protesters say they are not against the idea of an Aqua Park, but strongly oppose its location on Cosmeston Country Park's eastern lake. Concerns have been raised about the environmental impact, including the release of microplastics into the water from the inflatable structures, which could harm the already fragile ecosystem.
Aqua park development at Cosmeston lake (Image: Nikita Singh)
South Wales Central MS Andrew RT Davies criticised the plans, calling them 'an out of touch proposal from an out of touch council.' He said the Labour-run Vale of Glamorgan Council is pushing the project despite strong local opposition and insufficient consultation.
The Vale of Glamorgan Council stated that water safety testing has been carried out, and that the Aqua Park will be staffed with lifeguards and security to ensure visitor safety. They highlighted that the Aqua Park will offer new leisure activities for local residents and support conservation efforts within the park.
Work on the Aqua Park began today, despite ongoing protests. The next demonstration is planned for Saturday, June 14.