Redrow Caerphilly development named after Gilbert De Clare

Furious community leaders in Caerphilly town have slammed the name De Clare Gardens after an English nobleman by branding it an "insult".

The new Redrow homes development was named after Gilbert De Clare - who built the town's giant castle to keep the Welsh under his control.

Englishman Lord De Clare led wars against the Welsh - and the massacre of 500 Jewish people at Canterbury in 1265.

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De Clare is also said to have insisted on leading an attack on South Wales during Edward I's invasion of the country in the 13th century.

However, he was stripped of his position of commander after a devastating defeat near Llandeilo, South Wales.

Caerphilly Councillor Lindsay Whittle said: “Gilbert De Clare built Caerphilly Castle in the 13th century. An ally of Henry III, he had the castle constructed to keep the unruly Welsh people down.

"He is also said to have led the massacre of the Jews at Canterbury, hardly the sort of person you should be naming a development after.

“I’m very surprised that a house-builder with its headquarters in Wales should show such insensitivity. Didn’t someone at Redrow do some research on De Clare?

“To give this part of Caerphilly this name is also a total insult to the campaigners who fought Redrow. It gives an impression of Redrow showing contempt for local public opinion.”

Cllr Whittle has called on Redrow to scrap the proposed name and discuss a more suitable one with the local community which better reflected modern Wales.

Redrow insist the name is a temporary working name and the council will be consulted over the permanent naming of the site upon completion.

Beverley Wookey, sales director for Redrow in South Wales, said: "As a company headquarted in Wales, we are very proud of our Welsh heritage.

"We choose the temporary working names of our sites to reflect the history and landmarks of local communities.

"This site has been temporarily named after Gilbert De Clare as he built Caerphilly Castle in the 13th century, a fantastic asset for the local community and a popular heritage attraction.

"As with all of our developments, the local authority will have responsibility for naming streets once we have finished on-site, and the temporary development name no longer exists."