Big clean-up gets under way at eyesore former hostel site
A COUNCIL has discovered that a piece of land it was about to take action over after becoming littered with used needles does in fact belong to the council.
When it was reported that the outdoor section of the former NosDa hostel and bar in Despenser Street had become a dumping ground for drug paraphernalia and other litter, Cardiff Council said that they had issued a warning to the landowner – which is listed as Cardiff Backpacker Caerdydd Ltd according to the Land Registry.
The hostel, which was also once a vibrant and popular events space, became run down after successive lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Currently the outdoor area to the side of the building, which looks out on to the River Taff, is known to be a location for drug use.
The council informed the landowner earlier this month that the waste at the property had to be removed within seven days.
If it wasn’t, a formal waste enforcement notice would be issued giving them up to 21 days to remove the mess.
Failure to remove waste after such a notice has expired usually results in prosecution and the council obtaining a court order for the removal of the waste.
But it has now been confirmed that the outdoor space to the side of the former hostel, within the confines of the property’s boundary, belongs to the council.
Cardiff Council started its clean-up operation of the small outdoor area next to the former NosDa hostel on Monday.
The council said that contact has been made with the agent who is selling the property in order to find an “amicable solution to the issues that have taken place”.
So far most of the litter in the outdoor area, including the used needles, has been cleared away.
The picnic benches have also been removed from the area.