A PLAN to build flats near an Adamsdown school has been questioned by residents who want to see more parking spaces and community facilities.
Hale and Hafod Housing Association are intending to apply for planning permission to develop 23 “affordable flats” on the site of the former Great Eastern Hotel on Metal Street.
The site, next to Adamsdown Primary school, is currently protected by a wall with local artwork on it and has been the subject of many failed applications in the past to turn it into new housing and, at one stage, a community centre.
Liberal Democrat councillor for Adamsdown, Nigel Howells, said: “My preference for this plot of land has always been for the council to acquire it to provide much needed community facilities linked to Adamsdown Primary School.
“I know that if the will is there. The council has the ability to do this either by buying the site outright, or arranging some land swap with the developer.
“Since we lost Roath Library and the STAR Centre, Adamsdown is crying out for community facilities and this would be an ideal location so close to our largest primary school.
“As chair of Governors at the school, I have reservations about a housing development so close to the school. I encourage as many people as possible to respond to the consultation.”
STAR Hub in Splott is currently the nearest community space for Adamsdown residents
Adamsdown currently has no community hub. STAR Hub in Splott is the nearest social space for its residents and with uncertainty over a new library in the Cardiff Royal Infirmary’s unused Chapel, it only makes matters worse.
Residents, however, believe this development may cause other issues.
Aled Evans, 33, of Metal Street, said: “It all depends on the parking situation. We need something here, Adamsdown is one of the last areas in Cardiff with a community feel to it.
Another resident of Metal Street, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I pay £9 per year for a parking spot outside my house, yet, my spot is used all the time. If one person flats are built imagine what happens.”
A total of 24 cycle parking spaces have been proposed in the plans. However, WYG, the company consulting on Hale and Hafod Housing’s application, believe that “car dependency will be minimal, and the development will not generate any significant vehicle movements”.
The consultation document for the proposal says: “The ‘Access, Circulation and Parking Standard’s’ SPG (Supplementary Planning Guide) recognises that there are lower levels of car ownership associated with affordable housing – in this context, and in light of the site’s highly accessible location, no car parking spaces are provided on the site.”
In accordance with planning law, before a planning application can be submitted to the council for consideration, the developer has to consult on their proposals.
Whilst their findings will form part of; and sometimes amend, their application, it does not then stop residents from providing comments directly to the council in the run up to the planning committee considering the application.
This is due to be in the first quarter of 2019.
The pre-planning consultation can be found at: https://www.wyg.com/consultations/metal-street
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