Allure of train station ‘softens the blow’ of major office development in St Mellons, campaigners warn
PLANS to build a train station and business park which could bring 6,000 jobs on a site of natural and scientific importance in St Mellons should be opposed, a local campaign group has urged.
Friends of the Gwent Levels have argued that the plans threaten the biodiversity of a site of Special Scientific Interest, while developers have called them a “highly sustainable development” which will enhance the natural environment and create 6,000 jobs.
Cardiff Parkway train station would attract 800,000 people a year, according to the developers, and trains would depart for the city centre four times an hour.
Hendre Lakes – key features
- Railway station of up to 2,500 sq m
- 600 space car park
- 800,000 passengers a year and eight trains an hour travelling to Newport and Cardiff Central
- Business park of up to 90,000 sq m
- Potential to create 6,000 jobs, including 250 construction jobs
Yet the development will also include a business park adjacent to Hendre Lakes Park on an area of Special Scientific Interest and importance for natural conservation.
“There is a question about why the railway station and business park are linked, when in fact they don’t need to be linked,” said Catherine Linstrum, co-chair of the campaign group. “It’s almost as if the developers are saying, ‘look we’re going to build a lovely new station – and by the way we’re going to put a business park there as well.”
Ms Linstrum said that St Mellons Business Park, which is near to the new development, already has empty office space, and that the pandemic has prompted a permanent shift towards home working.
“Everybody wants more stations. It’s important not to think that the station would only happen if it’s accompanied by 14 storey blocks and the loss of green space,” she said.
“The Gwent Levels are a finite resource and they’re under attack from several quarters,” explained Ms Linstrum. “It’s now a place where people can come in with developments and claim to enhance biodiversity.”
While construction will create “significant temporary disturbance and loss” on the SSSI, developers claim the plans will create a long-term boost to biodiversity by significantly increasing woodland and natural grassland. Several reens in the area will also be maintained.
“Experience tells us that if you destroy a habitat you can’t replace it like-for-like,” argued Ms Linstrum. “Mitigation measures aren’t monitored, so a couple of years down the line who’s making sure that’s actually happening?”
Environmental Impact Assessment – key findings
- 9,000 more car journeys to the area per day, with a “negligible” impact on air quality
- Potential for “negative effects” on flood risk during construction
- ‘Significant temporary disturbance and loss” at Gwent Levels Rumney and Peterstone SSSI and Marshfield Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, including a “minor adverse impact on species.”
- Potential for “indirect impact” on archaeological assets and “significant” effects on the Wentloog Drainage System
The proposals have received 18 comments online, including 11 objections.
The public can offer their objections or support until Saturday March 6 on the Cardiff Council website.
