‘Chaos’ warning over cancer centre plans
RESIDENTS OPPOSED TO LOCATION OF PROPOSED NEW VELINDRE FACILITY SAY IT WILL CAUSE TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK AND DAMAGE WILDLIFE
PLANS for a new cancer centre could cause traffic chaos similar to when the Coca-Cola truck visited Cardiff, according to concerned residents.
Those behind the plans say the existing Velindre Cancer Centre needs to be replaced, while residents say the proposals will damage wildlife and cause traffic chaos.
Whitchurch resident Diane Lock, 42, said: “I have lived here all of my life and I have been more than happy here. I remember playing in the meadows since I was two years old. And now they want to build all over it – they will destroy it all.”
The site, north of Whitchurch Hospital playing fields, would include a specialist cancer treatment centre, a centre for learning, research and development facilities, temporary construction access points, parking provision, an energy centre and paths.
If planning permission is granted, the current Velindre Cancer Centre would be decommissioned after the opening of the new centre, planned for September 2022.
Ms Lock said she, like many other residents, does not oppose the need for a cancer centre but feels a different location should be used.
The dental therapist added: “I moved back to my family home so my children could have a similar childhood to mine and play in the meadows. But now they won’t have that. I feel like we have been railroaded.
“When I first heard about the plans I thought, ‘Velindre, great.’ Even when I heard they were building on the meadow I thought, ‘That’s a shame but that’s OK.’ But once I saw the extent of the plans was when I was worried.”
Many residents feel other planned developments, such as the 364 houses and flats planned for the BBC site in nearby Llandaff, will also contribute to the wider problem of congestion.
Ms Lock said: “We are already gridlocked. It’s bumper to bumper already at rush-hour. Do you remember when the Coca-Cola truck came through? People have been saying it will be like that every day.
“We have had lots of meetings with Velindre, but the same questions keep coming up with the same answers.”
When the Coca-Cola Christmas truck visited Cardiff in 2015 it caused severe congestion across the city.
The main access to the 14.5-acre site would be from Coryton Interchange, with emergency access via the Hollybush Estate.
Another concerned resident, Maria Boffey, said: “It is an area that is used by the residents for relaxation and wellbeing, and it’s a well-used area.
“It has got so much wildlife, no-one wants to see it built on and destroyed.”
She added: “I think it’s about the bigger picture too. It’s about future developments, future generations, the use of NHS money and a lack of consultation. For me it’s not just about the residents, there are these wider questions and concerns.”
A petition against the plans has gained more than 500 signatures.
It reads: “Please decline the planning application by Velindre NHS Trust to build the new Velindre Cancer Centre on the land to the north of Whitchurch Hospital playing fields (commonly known as Whitchurch Meadow). The meadow is adjacent to Glamorganshire Canal Nature Reserve, part of which has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, with several trees being more than 200 years old.”
It claims there would be a “substantial” impact on local wildlife by the development, which would have 1,000 staff members.
The Transforming Cancer Services (TCS) in South East Wales programme is being run by Velindre NHS Trust, which provides cancer treatments that aren’t provided by a GP or local hospital across south-east Wales.
The new facility would aim to make Velindre an international focal point for research and development, with an emphasis on expanding clinical trials.
Carl James, director of the Velindre Trust Transforming Cancer Services programme, said previously: “The current Velindre Cancer Centre has served cancer patients across South Wales exceptionally well for the past 60 years.
“However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue to provide the quality of services and new treatments expected by patients from the current facility due to its age [and] the many constraints that this causes.
“I am sure people will want us to develop the very best services for patients and provide world-class care and facilities.
“The site at Whitchurch provides a unique opportunity to achieve all of these aims. It is easily accessible from the A470 and M4, reducing travel time for patients and families, and provides a peaceful and calming environment to assist patients during their treatment and rehabilitation with us.”
He said they were very conscious of the importance the meadows hold for the local community.
“We have worked closely with the local Whitchurch community and the Friends of Forest Farm over the past 12 months in designing our proposals for the new Velindre Cancer Centre,” he said.
“This has assisted us greatly in better understanding the area and identifying how we can move forward effectively.
“The feedback we have received to date suggests that the local community supports the need for the new Velindre Cancer Centre and want to work with us to ensure we develop something we can all be proud of.
“The local community has also been clear in telling us that they would prefer the cancer centre to be built at the site rather than residential housing, the current approved planning for the meadows site.
“I can assure everyone that we have and will continue to be very sympathetic to the distinctive location of the area we are seeking to develop in providing cancer services for the future, and to ensure we protect the unique environmental interests that border the site.
“I would encourage anyone with an interest in our plans to come and talk with us over the coming months to help move forward in partnership.”