City arena plans fail to pass the carbon test, say critics
CARDIFF’S proposed £150m, 15,000seat arena will compare unfavourably with a similar project in Bristol, according to a leading conservation group.
Lyn Eynon, Cardiff Civic Society’s lead on planning, said: “Earlier this month Cardiff council’s cabinet adopted its One Planet vision for a carbon-neutral city by 2030.
“Council leader Huw Thomas likes to claim Cardiff is playing a ‘leading role’ in the fight against environmental collapse. But that is not true.
“Cardiff council has yet to follow the Senedd in declaring a Nature Emergency to reverse critical biodiversity loss.
“The One Planet action plan is weak, placing hope in individual action while the council itself presses on with destructive projects.
“One of these is its plan to regenerate Atlantic Wharf around a new indoor arena.
“Bristol, the closest UK core city to Cardiff, is also building an arena. Comparing the two shows how far Cardiff is behind.
“The Bristol arena declares sustainability will be at its heart, but the Cardiff arena has little interest in this.
“The Bristol arena promises to be carbon-neutral from day one, but the Cardiff arena only talks of ‘future proofing’ towards net zero.
“The Bristol arena promises to run without fossil fuels, but the Cardiff arena energy strategy includes gas boilers for peak loads.
“Both arenas will have solar panelling on the roof, but Bristol will have five times as much, with Cardiff preferring to use space for a giant advertisement.
“Before it opens Bristol’s arena will have a new station nearby on an existing rail line, while Cardiff has only unfunded dreams for its Metro and Crossrail.
“Bristol will repurpose a Filton hangar, but Cardiff will construct a new arena, which requires far more embodied carbon.
“Cardiff council wants to regenerate Atlantic Wharf by demolishing all existing buildings, although the arena can be built without this.
“The Royal Institute of British Architects and the Royal Academy of Engineers have called for a rethink of such destructive development methods. But Cardiff council likes bulldozers.
“We should not be surprised that Cardiff council will be satisfied with an environmentally inferior arena. Bristol declared a climate emergency ahead of Cardiff and has recognised the ecology crisis. Bristol has been recognised by the UK and the EU as a Green Capital. Bristol’s One City plan is more comprehensive and more mature than One Planet Cardiff.
“Bristol is not perfect. Cardiff does more recycling. But on most measures Bristol does better on climate and environment.
“If Cardiff wants to play a leading role, then it has to deliver in practice, not just on paper, and rethink its development plans for the city.
“Atlantic Wharf needs regeneration. Too much land is devoted to carparking and could be better used, for the benefit of both Cardiff Bay and the city.
“But we must get this right. Cardiff council will be joint applicant for the Atlantic Wharf and arena planning application, which has not yet been submitted.
“There is still time to meet the aspirations of its One Planet vision. Second-best is not good enough. Where is our capital ambition?”
Councillor Michael Michael, Cardiff council’s cabinet member for clean streets, recycling and environment, responded: “With regards to the claims by the Civic Society that the One Planet strategy falls short on issues such as biodiversity, we can confirm that there is a clear biodiversity declaration through a commitment to sign the Edinburgh Declaration set out in the document.
“Furthermore, the council has a ‘biodiversity and resilience of ecosystems duty’ under the Environment Act (Wales), with a requirement to set out an action plan on how this will be delivered. Under the legislation, this forward plan has to be reviewed every three years.
“We can confirm that recent changes to Welsh planning and building regulations policy have been strengthened to ensure that all new buildings in Wales are built to near zero emissions standards.
“The One Planet Cardiff strategy references this and confirms the council’s commitment to ensure that these policies are fully implemented.”