Return of canal at heart of carbon-busting plans
PLANS have been revealed to restore an old canal in Cardiff city centre as the council sets outs its vision to tackle climate change over the next decade.
Cardiff council wants to open up the Churchill Way Canal Dock Feeder and restore the city centre waterway to manage rainwater more sustainably.
More trees could be planted alongisde the canal to increase biodiversity.
The plans are part of the wider redevelopment of the area around Guildford Crescent, which could soon be named the Canal Quarter.
Guildford Crescent used to be home to businesses including music venue Gwdihw, which shut down in 2019.
The plans to restore the canal come as part of several projects in the council’s new strategy to get Cardiff carbon neutral by 2030. Other projects include city farms and planting more trees.
Growing food in Bute Park, installing drinking water fountains across the city, and building zero-carbon homes and schools all feature in the new plan to drastically cut Cardiff’s carbon dioxide emissions.
The goal of the One Planet strategy, unveiled by Cardiff council yesterday, is to reduce carbon emissions in the city to net zero by 2030.
Residents and businesses can have their say on the plans with a fivemonth public consultation which would start after the council’s cabinet has voted on the plans next Thursday.
Council leader Huw Thomas said: “The need for change is right here, right now. Carrying on as we are is not a viable option. It’s not sustainable. We are all going to have to think and act differently.
“The council will do everything it can to drive this agenda forward, but
all of us as individuals now also need to look at how we live, and all of us need to start making choices about what legacy we want to leave for our children.
“Any post-pandemic economic revival must be heavily focused on green technologies, based on creating jobs that help build and design a sustainable future for our city.”
The seven areas the plan covers are buildings, energy, transport, trees, food, recycling and water. Each has several planned projects to cut carbon emissions and deal with the forecasted impacts of rising global temperatures.
One key threat Cardiff faces from climate change is flooding from heavy rain and the Severn estuary as sea levels rise. Addressing this, the council is planning to build flood defences on the river Rhymney, reopen the Churchill Way canal, and plant trees to soak up rainwater.
Cardiff could soon grow a lot more food locally, with plans to grow food hydroponically in a shipping container in Bute Park; letting community groups grow food on council-owned land; and making space on new housing developments for growing food.
A “major tree planting exercise”, perhaps in a local tree farm, could see the amount of trees in the city increase by a quarter, to absorb carbon dioxide and help prevent flooding.
How people get around the city could also change with the Cardiff Crossrail, a train and tramline from Creigiau to St Mellons; a Cardiff Circle tramline; more bus lanes and bike lanes; and a congestion charge, which the council is still exploring.
A huge new solar panel farm opens this month at the former Lamby Way landfill site. The solar farm will generate nine megawatts of energy, enough to power 2,900 homes for 35 years. The council is also planning a low-carbon heat network and would replace gas boilers in major buildings.
The council is planning on building a pilot zero-carbon housing estate on the old Eastern High School, while new schools built in Cardiff will be carbon neutral as standard.
“The new local development plan will also have climate change “at its heart”.
While Cardiff is already top of the league for recycling, residents could soon be asked to separate glass at the kerbside, and be given reusable sacks for other recyclable waste instead of the current green plastic bags.
Other plans include replacing the Wedal Road tip, which the council closed in 2018.
Cllr Thomas said while progress has already been made in cutting Cardiff’s carbon emissions, there’s still much work to be done, and urged people to respond to the consultation.
He said: “Projects such as installing solar-energy systems on council homes, introducing LED street lighting on the city’s road network, improving energy efficiency in council buildings, and generating 1.3 megawatts of solar energy in our schools and public buildings have all helped reduce the council’s direct carbon emissions by 45 per cent since 2005.
“In the same time period, Cardiff’s carbon emissions have reduced in the domestic sector by 38 per cent and in the industrial and commercial sector by 55 per cent.
“Despite this success, we need to do more. That’s why we declared a climate emergency last year, and why we’re publishing this strategy today so we can deliver our vision of being carbon neutral by 2030.
“This is what the One Planet strategy is all about: looking at ways we can design, deliver and safeguard the future for all of us.
“I urge the people of Cardiff to take part in this consultation and to join us, and help us, as we seek to make Cardiff carbon neutral by 2030.”