WORRIED residents have hit out at plans to build a block of 14 flats in a conservation area.
The development, proposed for the Pontcanna area of Cardiff, has been recommended for approval by Cardiff council’s planning officers.
The application has yet to be approved by the planning and development committee – but has caused uproar among people living near the King’s Road site, which was formerly home to the Pontcanna Pine warehouse.
Felicity White lives opposite and is concerned that the new building would offset the already decreasing unique look of the area.
Mrs White has lived on Severn Grove for 15 years with her three children and husband.
She said: “People like Pontcanna because it’s unique, you can bring up a family and yet it’s still close to the city centre.”
Mrs White and the other residents object to any development that alters the character of the conservation area, and that if too many apartment blocks are built it would end up like Cardiff Bay.
She added: “At the moment it’s just the right balance between family housing and younger residents.
“If we wanted to live in an area crammed with flats and apartments, we’d move to Cardiff Bay. If you cram as many units onto any available areas as possible, you will gradually spoil the character of the area.
“The developers have tried quite hard with the outside look of the building, they’ve reduced the number of properties there, but the current proposal still doesn’t align the property with the rest of the buildings along Severn Grove.
“The resubmitted proposal still contains too many flats for that corner. We are already struggling with traffic and parking on the street.”
Cardiff Civic Society has also noted its concerns about the development, including the possibility that an even less desirable premises might be placed on the site if the flats are not.
Chairman Peter Cox said: “We are very concerned that Cardiff council is failing to apply rigorous policies on housing need, conservation and design. Officers seem to feel that because the developer has modified original completely unsatisfactory plans that the revised application is as good as it could be. We do not agree.
“Rather we think that the council should be setting new standards, through clear and explicit policies that can, if necessary, be defended at appeal. For too long, threats by developers have hindered the application of effective policies. This application, in particular, will be one step too far.
“We do not concur with the officers’ conclusions that the developer has amended the application in any substantive way sufficient for it to meet the thresholds for a planning decision approval. We note that suggestions have been made, in public, that if the council rejects this application then an even more inappropriate use might be proposed: the committee will, no doubt, ignore such baseless threats.”
The application to build the 14 flats will go before Cardiff council’s planning committee on August 14 at 2.30pm at City Hall, Cathays Park.
