CITY’S NEW £2bn SUPER-SUBURB
REVEALED: FULL DETAILS OF CONTROVERSIAL PLANS FOR A 6,000-HOME DEVELOPMENT IN CARDIFF FOR 22,500 PEOPLE WITH NEW SCHOOLS, SHOPS AND PARKS
A HUGE new development of homes, schools and community facilities in north-west Cardiff could be approved next week despite hundreds of objections.
The Plasdŵr development is described as a “21st-century garden city” and will cost £2bn to bring to reality.
The huge site where the development will be constructed is to the west of Radyr, Fairwater and Pentrebane and to the north of St Fagans.
To the north is the A4119 and fields act as a buffer to St Fagans.
The land is one of the sites selected in Cardiff council’s Local Development Plan and is known as Strategic Site C.
Redrow Homes is the lead developer, which has already had approval for two sections which fall into the first phase.
It is set to start work to the north of Llantrisant Road in Radyr on the first 126 homes of 630 which have been given planning permission along with a primary school which will follow within four years.
It also expects to start work before the end of the year on 290 homes to the south of Pentrebane Road which have already been approved.
The application that will be considered by the city’s planning committee next Wednesday includes the masterplan for the entire 900-acre site including the first phase of works.
The planning application to be considered for approval next week is outline permission for a mixed-use development. It would be built in phases with more detailed applications for the specifics of the scheme to be decided at a later date.
In total the scheme would include up to 5,970 homes; three local centres including homes, shop and services; a new district centre including food shops; community and healthcare facilities; three new primary schools and a secondary school; open space including allotments and parks, and new road junctions.
In total, 30% of the homes would be affordable housing with 50% of that being social rented homes and 50% low cost homes.
There will be a mix of different sized houses and streets.
The final number, position and type of houses is not yet known but would be applied for at a later date.
The application to be considered for approval is for up to 5,970 residential units.
They would mainly be family homes and it is thought that around two thirds of them will be three or four bedroom homes.
The scale of the homes has also to be decided but they will vary from between 11m and 24m above ground.
“The lowest building heights are proposed in areas adjoining existing communities, where a max ridge height of 11m (up to 2.5 storeys) is proposed.”
There will be “green corridors” running through the site.
And the developers have to meet the terms of a bus strategy. That includes five different potential routes running in or around the development.
There would be two express routes for buses and around 12 buses an hour during peak commuter periods.
To keep buses moving, bus gates – which only allow buses through – are planned.
There will be main roads, a safeguarded tram train route for the proposed Metro, quiet streets and shared streets for pedestrians and cyclists. In total, the developers say there will be 17km of new cycle routes.
The design includes connections between the site and the railway stations nearby and there would be a financial contribution to improve pedestrian or rail facilities at stations.
The planning application being debated next week has a huge number of objections from residents, councillors and other politicians.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board says that altogether the new homes in the north-west of Cardiff will increase the population by at least 22,585.
It says while there is some capacity at present for new patients at its services in Cardiff, there will be shortfall with a growth of such numbers.
It says: “Current GP surgery provision will be insufficient.
“There will be a significant demand pressure placed on a range of existing primary care health services.”
It says it cannot predict the impact on hospital facilities.
There are also objections from Radyr and Morganstown Community Council and St Fagans Community Council.
The Radyr and Morganstown council objection contains 16 points covering everything from sewage infrastructure to power cables.
It says it is “unrealistic to expect the same level of cycle use as in Amsterdam” and that there are existing traffic problems.
St Fagans Community Council says the proposal doesn’t “adequately deal with the issues raised and demonstrates a lack of respect for the concerns of Cardiff residents”.
It adds that there has been “no community engagement or true consultation” and the development will not bring a “full range” of jobs as promised.
It says that transport improvements should be put in place before any new residents move in and it does not want to see the loss of “considerable green open space and farmland”.
“Inadequate attention is given to the potential for flooding,” it reads.
Conservative councillor Rod McKerlich, Neil McEvoy AM and former MP Jonathan Evans have also all objected.
A number of objections have been submitted by residents. This includes a 208-strong petition, 130 individual letters of objection, 14 objections from local home owners and objections from Radyr Golf Club.
They say that there are “serious inadequacies” with the plan and call for it to be “carried out properly”.
The recommendation by council officers is for the outline permission to be granted.
Planners say: “The principle of development has been firmly established.
“In delivering a district centre, three local centres, a secondary school, three primary schools, employment, community and health facilities, on and off-site public transport, walking and cycling measures, and extensive green infrastructure, the site will help deliver the council’s vision for the site.
“The application has been planned in a comprehensive and integrated manner, with links to both the existing built up area and to the other developments approved within the strategic site, and will deliver a high quality, sustainable and distinctive development.
“As the majority part of the largest of the eight strategic sites, the application plays a crucial role in the delivery of the LDP strategy and the urgently needed housing, including affordable housing. Its scale allows numerous outlets to be operating at any one time in different parts of the site, assisting in the delivery of housing at the required rate.
“There are no demonstrable or compelling reasons which indicate sufficient harm to warrant refusal of the application, with all material factors, policy implications and issues raised through consultation satisfactorily addressed. It is recommended that planning permission be granted.”
As part of the approval, the developers will have to meet a number of requirements.
These include: 30% affordable housing; land for a secondary school (given over by the time the 3,000th home is built) and £18m to pay for the new building; land for three, two-form entry primary schools and a payment of £5.3m if they are not delivered in a set timescale; a district centre and three local centres; community facilities; a healthcare facility; £14m towards improving roads; £6.3m in bus subsidies; a travel plan and £230,000 to Network Rail to replace waiting shelters at Waun Gron Park, Fairwater and Danescourt as well as cycle storage at Danescourt.
They will also have to provide a bin for each house (at a cost of £60 each) as well as litter bins on the streets and £29,850 towards monitoring air pollution.
Wayne Rees, project director for Plasdŵr at Redrow, welcomed the recommendation for approval.
He said: “The proposals for Plasdŵr underpin Cardiff’s adopted Local Development Plan on a site already approved for development. With that in mind, plus today’s recommendation for approval by planning officers, we are optimistic that this last application will be approved.”