New plans for a development of eight 3-storey houses on the site of Conway Road Garage have been submitted to the Council
- Any development so close to the junction of Conway Road with Cathedral Road is unacceptable from the point of road safety, also causing more traffic jams than there are already!
- The development would also have an negative effect on the nearby properties and area, in particular with the many rubbish bags on the streets.
- Development of this scale on this site would set a precedent for infill development in a Conservation Area.
If you wish to object to this planning application please do so as soon as possible. The closing date for objections is Monday 11th March – and the quantity of letters counts! The plans and detailed descriptions are available for consultation at the City Hall. The plans are also available on line via the Council web site:
Click here to see the proposed Conway Garage groundfloor housing plan
Objections to the proposals should be sent as soon as possible to the Council Planning department giving the reference number and reasons for objection.
Application number: 13/00242/DCI Land at 81A Conway Road (Conway Garage) f.a.o. Richard Cole/ Phil Williams
Email objections to developmentmanagement@cardiff.gov.uk Or write to: Development Management, f.a.o. Richard Cole/ Phil Williams, City Development, City Hall, Cardiff, CF10 3ND
The planners are influenced by the number of objections and they can amend plans or reject them if the proposals conflict with the Council Planning Guidelines. Please write immediately or email and register your objections.
For reference only – below is a sample letter of objection from a resident of Conway Road, followed by some points raised by a resident of Penhill Road. We suggest you write your own letter including the points you feel are valid and any personal responses.
CONWAY GARAGE HOUSING PROPOSAL
A new planning application has been submitted to build 8 3 storey houses on the Conway Garage site. This is a significantly bigger development than previous plans and represents a threat not merely to the immediate houses but would establish a damaging precedent about development within the Conservation Area. The properties most directly affected would be those immediately adjacent on Conway Road, Penhill and the new properties at Cwrt Penhill.
However the knock-on effect on parking and traffic will be damaging to Conway Road generally as well as the wider Conservation Area. The creation of 8 new family houses with only a single parking space each, and only 2 visitor spaces for the development, will inevitably increase parking pressure on Conway Road and Penhill. The movement of vehicles to and from the site via the very narrow lane access will exacerbate the traffic conflicts in Conway Road at busy times as well as posing a threat to pedestrians and in particular children walking along Conway Road.
The narrow access means that the developer intends that rubbish from the 8 houses will be deposited on the Conway Road pavement not merely creating a hazard but damaging the appearance and amenity of the street.
The 3-storey houses will cause a major loss of privacy to the adjacent gardens and houses as well as cutting out light to several properties and are in clear breach of the Council 2011 policy regarding Infill Sites: Supplementary Planning Guidance (April 2011).
1. Insufficient parking:
The developers have allocated 10 parking spaces for the eight 3-bedroom houses (one per house, plus two (total) visitor spaces). I believe that this is inadequate and will lead to the “overspill” of cars being parked on Conway Road and the adjacent roads. As you know, there is little spare capacity for parking on these roads. Looking at the plans, there is no scope for any more parking on the development, so that is not a solution.
2. Traffic congestion:
Similar to above, eight 3-bedroom houses will bring additional traffic to streets that are already congested, and to all intents-and-purposes single-track rat-runs with cars parked on both sides. This would exacerbate the existing traffic conflicts at busy times. The narrow width of the lane with houses on either side also makes it difficult for cars to see each other, and for pedestrians on the pavement to see the cars.
3. Setting a precedent for new development in Conservation Area:
This development would set a precedent for building on infill in the Conservation Area, threatening the character of the area. The plans do appear to be in clear breach of the Council 2011 policy regarding Infill Sites: Supplementary Planning Guidance (April 2011) in a number of ways, principally not being ‘subservient’ to the surrounding properties (being 3 storey).
4. Access to the development and the impact on refuse collection / deliveries
Access to the development would be via the lane, which is less than ten feet wide at the entrance, and with a very tight turn onto Conway Road. Consequently, I believe that delivery vehicles would struggle to access the development, and would “double park” on Conway Road to off-load. Similarly, refuse collection lorries would be unable to access the development, and the eight properties would leave their refuse on the street, on the corner of Conway Road and the lane for collection. At that area, the pavement is already narrow with the trees and the surface uneven with tree roots coming through: this could cause a problem for pedestrians, especially with prams and children, in addition to damaging the appearance and amenity of the street. In addition, it strikes me that it would be challenging getting the plant vehicles and building materials on and off site during the build.
to report that the Council Planning Committee has again REFUSED planning permission for the convenience store and 8 flats scheme proposed for the Pontcanna Pine site. We don’t know what the developers’ next move will be – We are sure the saga isn’t completely over yet – but the vote against the development was unanimous on grounds of the traffic and parking issues.
