Cardiff Council has rejected an amendment that could have prevented controversial plans for a Military Medicine Museum in Cardiff Bay.
The museum was given planning permission last December and is set to be located in Butetown’s Britannia Park. It is expected to take up a significant section of the park’s current site.
The park is publicly owned land and an amendment was tabled by Cardiff Liberal Democrats that could have prevented the land being sold to developers.
However, the amendment didn’t pass after failing to gain the support of Labour and Conservative councillors.
Cardiff Liberal Democrats had previously launched a petition opposing the museum’s proposed location, highlighting the fact the site is one of Cardiff Bay’s only green spaces and includes a children’s play area.
Councillor Rodney Berman said: “You’ll be taking away an area that people currently enjoy in a part of the city where there’s already a deficiency of public space.
“Given there’s an awful lot of opposition to the museum going on that site, I have been trying to persuade the council to take another approach, to find a different site.
“The council once previously stepped in to save this land from development. How on earth are they saving it from development if they just sell it on to another developer?”
Councillor Berman said Cardiff Council may be set on the museum’s proposed site because of large scale redevelopment planned around a new indoor arena in Cardiff Bay.
“The museum was previously going to be located on part of the site where the indoor arena is going,” he said.
“I believe the council is basically sacrificing this piece of public open space because they want to get their big bang arena.”
Responding to the council’s rejection of his amendment, Cllr Berman was critical of Labour and Conservative councillors for failing to back the amendment. He was particularly critical of Butetown’s Councillor Saeed Ebrahim.
Berman said: “He did object to the planning application but he didn’t turn up to the planning meeting when the application was discussed, whereas I did. So he wasn’t there to argue against it to committee members. Yesterday he didn’t support our amendment which would have stopped the sell-off of this land.
Councillor Ebrahim has been contacted for a comment.