The North West Cardiff Group which represents local community groups in Creigiau, Danescourt, Gwaelod y Garth, Llandaff, Pentyrch, Radyr & Morganstown and St Fagans has recently written to the Head of Planning at Cardiff Council concerning the Cardiff Replacement Local Development Plan and the Taff River Corridor. The text of the letter is reproduced below.
I write as Chair of the North West Cardiff Group which represents the interests of the residents of Creigiau, Pentyrch, Gwaelod y Garth, Morganstown, Radyr, St. Fagans, Danescourt and Llandaff, some 24,000 people. Group membership comprises all the Community Councils of the above areas together with representatives from the Radyr and Morganstown Association, the Danescourt Community Association, the Llandaff Society and the Cardiff Civic Society.
Request for a policy presumption against development in the Taff River Corridor in the RLDP
The NWCG, together with the Danescourt Community Association, the Radyr and Morganstown Association, the Llandaff Society and Cardiff Civic Society all propose that there should be a presumption against development for the whole area between De Braose Close, the railway line, Radyr Court Road and Danescourt, together with the green areas adjacent to Radyr Court Close declared in the RLDP. The Save Our Woods Group is also in full support of this request.
The reason for this is that the whole area is located within the Taff River Corridor and is shown as such within the LDP. The paths through the woods provide links to the parkland to the south and the well used woodland paths to the north through Radyr Woods and they form part of the scheme to recreate the historical Penrhys Pilgrimage Way between Llandaff Cathedral and Penrhys that the Council supports and promotes.
The whole of these areas have been available for the recreational use of the Danescourt community and the Radyr Court Close community since the development of these areas n the late 70s/early 80s, an uninterrupted period of over 40 years. Their loss now would be not just a considerable blow but also a significant reduction in the leisure facilities available to both these and adjoining communities.
The policies designed “to protect” the Taff River Corridor within the LDP – KP16(iii) and EN4 - appear to be meaningless however because for the last two and a half years the Council’s Planners have been considering a Planning Application (20/00187/MJR) for the development of part of this land. Over 500 written objections to this application for development have already been submitted and there is a petition containing more than 2,000 signatures against it. If the designation of River Corridor was to have any significance, this application for planning should have been rejected on its receipt.
In addition, the Wales and West Housing Association has recently consulted regarding a proposal to erect 14 dwellings on the land adjacent to Radyr Court Close as required by the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2012 Part 1A. If this proposal is submitted to the Council as a planning application, it must also be rejected on its receipt.
Other considerations are:
(i) These areas are already in the LDP as part of the Taff Green corridor,
(ii) the woodland forms a wild life corridor that could be enhanced by sensitive planting/management in which the community could be active players.
(iii) it is currently available as a local woodland to the residents of Danescourt and Riversdale and the loss of it would cause considerable local disquiet and protest.
(iv) the flat grassed area not currently wooded could either become a site for tree planting or could be used by residents as an informal play or sports use area. It could also be used to replace the loss of the recently named "Radyr Vale Park" within which the highway drainage attainment ponds are currently being constructed. Given that the ponds are being constructed using S.278 of the Highways Act 1980, this land can no longer be considered to be parkland but rather should be considered to be a part of the highway network, albeit I am advised that Cardiff's Parks Service will maintain its soft landscaping.
(v) It could also usefully be considered to form an important part of Cardiff Council's Coed Caerdydd scheme.
(vi) the loss of the grassed areas adjacent to Radyr Court Close would also cause local disquiet and protest, and
(vii) for all the above, the protection from development of both these areas in the RLDP would be in line with the Council's duty to promote the health and well-being of its citizens.
