The site on Pentwyn Drive had become a fly tipping and littering hotspot
CONSTRUCTION of 28 new council homes in Pentwyn on a well-known littering site has got under way.
The 28 homes include 20 two-bedroom apartments and eight one-bedroom apartments, all housed in one building.
The development, led by housing association and care provider Linc Cymru, was announced in September of last year, and was met by some local opposition.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Emma Sandrey, who serves Pentwyn, said: “We called on the council to buy the land with a view to turning it into a community facility. Instead they helped secure the land with the Welsh Government and Linc, to build social housing instead.
“This is obviously better than what it was, but not what the community wanted.”
The site had most recently been a Morrisons Local but closed down in 2016. It had previously been a pub called the Pentwyn Arms, latterly known as the Grand Slam.
Since the closure of the supermarket, the site had become one of Pentwyn’s littering and fly tipping hotspots.
“The empty lot was attracting lots of fly tipping and vandalism and anti-social behaviour,” said Coun Sandrey.
Most of the opposition is towards the lack of parking provided by the new development, with just six parking spaces provided, two of them for disabled access only.
Fellow Liberal Democrat Councillor Joe Carter said: “We need affordable social housing, so when housing was proposed we had hoped that family homes would be built.
“But we were disappointed when flats with almost no parking were put forward. The flats are needed but we are worried about future parking issues.”
Despite this, a May 2021 planning committee report said: “There is no objection from the Transportation Officer on grounds of inadequate car parking.
“Whilst there have been a number of objections to the development principally on grounds of inadequate car parking this is a sustainable site. The car parking (including disabled spaces) for the development and the cycle parking is in line with PPW (Planning Policy Wales), the LDP (Local Development Plan) and SPG (Supplementary Planning Guidance) and is therefore considered acceptable.”
Also in the plans are 48 cycle parking spaces, which would be next to the parking area in safe and secure bicycle stores.
“I’m hoping, having talked to Linc, that this development will prompt the introduction of nextbike into Pentwyn, as was supposed to happen pre-pandemic,” said Coun Sandrey.
“I have been pushing for a dock here for years. The irony is that many get abandoned in our ward and I’m convinced that it would be less of an issue if we had an actual docking station.”
The Cardiffian has asked Linc Cymru for a comment.
