Councillors concerned about plans for houses

COUNCILLORS have said they have concerns about four homes being built on land in a Cardiff suburb.

An application for four new detached homes to be built at 30 Springfield Gardens in Morganstown were looked at by Cardiff council’s planning committee on Wednesday.

The plans were recommended for approval despite councillor, AM and MP objection.

The plans are for four detached homes to be built. Access would be via a driveway to the side of an existing house.

An existing garage would need to be demolished and trees removed.

A surface water attenuation pond is also proposed.

Permission for two homes at the same site has previously been turned down.

Conservative councillor Rod McKerlich asked the committee to visit the site before making a decision.

He said there is a clue in the name of the street – “there is a spring”.

“This is not something that should lightly be disturbed,” he said.

He says that the land is currently a “peat bog” and home to wildlife.

“The peat bog is ancient and deep and it is there because there’s a stream running all the way through it,” he said.

“If these houses are built a clear problem exists. They will be built on a flood plain which has been a significant problem in the past and lesser problem recently.”

He says water from the nearby quarry is still being pumped out but there were concerns what would happen when that ends in an estimated 20 years.

Councillors voted to go and visit the site before the matter is heard in full.

At the same hearing, an application to increase occupancy at a shared house in Cathays was heard.

Councillors objected, saying they have worked to introduce a cap on student or shared homes to try to encourage families to move back into the area.

Council planning officers said an increase of one room would not be enough to sustain any legal objections to refusal.

Labour councillor Norma Mackie said: “You’re saying it doesn’t make that much difference in the change of use, the more we increase them the less we are likely to get families back into Cathays, which is what we want to see”.

Ward colleague Sarah Merry urged the committee to follow the council’s own guidance.

Conservative councillor Sean Driscoll said he thought that the application is “a bedroom too far” and he couldn’t support the plans.

The committee voted to defer any decision, pending officers finding a reason the application can be refused.