Final plan submitted for popular city beauty spot
AMBITIOUS plans to bring one of Cardiff’s best-loved landmarks back to life have been formally submitted for planning permission.
Welsh Water Dŵr Cymru is proposing to create a visitor hub and leisure facilities at Llanishen and Lisvane reservoirs.
The formal application comes after the company carried out a pre-planning application consultation with local residents.
The consultation saw nearly 2,000 responses, with an approval rating for the proposals of more than 85%. Only 5% objected to the plans.
Welsh Water, which bought the 999year lease for the Victorian-era site in 2016, has introduced changes to the design of the visitor centre to improve its green credentials and reduce its carbon footprint.
Pete Perry, Welsh Water Chief Executive, said: “The submission of formal plans for our plans for Lisvane and Llanishen is a major milestone in our efforts to bring this cherished community asset back to its former glory.
“The response to our pre-planning application was an amazing endorsement of the importance of these reservoirs to the wider area, and we’re heartened that people have responded so positively to the proposal we have set out so far. As a not-for-profit company, we are owned on behalf of our customers – and we want to create a sustainable hub that everyone can enjoy.
“We would encourage everyone with an interest in the future of the site to respond to the planning consultation – and to get in touch with us to register as a Friends of Lisvane and Llanishen, so they can help with conservation management activities to protect and enhance the unique ecology of the site.”
Welsh Water has spent much of the last four years carrying out restoration works at the site, and began refilling Llanishen Reservoir last year.
The visitor hub will use green gas generated from Welsh water’s core operations of treating sewage.
Welsh Water’s plans would bring back sailing to the reservoir, along with other watersports such as windsurfing, stand-up paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, and electric picnic boats,
At the northern end of the site, the company will create a visitor hub with spectacular views. The two-storey building will feature changing rooms, showers and toilets, as well as meeting and training rooms for local community use, and a café with views across the reservoirs.
The site will also be an education hub with a Learning Zone with Welsh roundhouse, ranger-led education activities, and work experience opportunities.
The reservoirs have two designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for waxcap fungi and overwintering birds, and Welsh Water has included a number of ecological proposals - including creating a Winter Conservation Zone with floating islands on Lisvane reservoir to protect birds, bird hides on the embankment, and a Conservation Zone in Gwern-y-Bendy Woods.