Cardiff: Call for help to shape future of the city

People across Cardiff are being asked to help shape the city of the future in a bid to make a "greener, more sustainable" capital.

Concerns have been raised about an influx in new developments, with high-rise flats and offices transforming the skyline over recent years.

Now, residents are being urged to help shape policy to determine how Cardiff will look in a post-Covid world.

Councillor Caro Wild said the city's development was at a "crucial point".

Mr Wild, cabinet member for strategic planning and transport, said the city needed to "play its part" in helping with the post-pandemic recovery, and tackling the threat of climate change.

With concerns fewer people will head into the city due to more people working from home, Mr Wild said there was evidence of an influx of businesses moving to Cardiff from London for "quality of life reasons".

The council has already set out plans to transform the city, with a canal quarter, new arena, and the redevelopment of Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff Bay, all in the pipeline.

In recent years, the council has come under fire after approving a number of controversial developments, with some accusing the authority of "damaging the character" of the capital.

Guildford Crescent in Cardiff was mostly demolished despite a 20,000-name petition and a protest march by 1,000 people, while the front of one of the city's last Victorian terraces remains, developers hope to build a 29-storey apartment block in its place.

Meanwhile, there have been fears about sustainability of high-rise luxury student blocks, after thousands of new rooms, mostly marketed at international students, were approved by the council.

At least six of the Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSAs) schemes had applied for temporary change of use, to let to non-students, after being unable to fill rooms, with some applying before the pandemic hit.

With PBSAs classed as "sui generis" in planning terms, meaning they are treated differently from other types of accommodation and standards for space are often lower, there had been fears developers had been exploiting a "planning loophole".

Some have not even got off the ground, including a 42-storey student block near Central Station which, if built, would be Wales' tallest building.

There have been concerns over the impact of developments due to the height and design of buildings as well as promised schemes, known as Section 106 agreements, not being upheld.

In 2019, figures revealed developers paid Cardiff council £18m less than agreed for the developments to go ahead, towards affordable housing and community facilities, with some paying nothing at all.

The council defended this, saying it did not take developers' word that it could not afford the contributions - at times due to issues during build - and the evidence was independently verified before any changes to the agreement were reached.

Now the council is asking people to contribute to the city's blueprint for the next 15 years, as it prepares to draw up its new Local Development Plan (LDP).

The document, which must be reviewed every four years by law, sets out what should be built and where and what should be protected, and can be used to help decide whether to grant permission for new developments or to refuse them.

It will look at population projections to look at housing needs.

Mr Wild said the LDP, which started with an eight-week consultation on 28 May, was an opportunity to "manage future growth in a sustainable way".

He said he did not just want to hear views from the people who always responded to consultations, but people from every community, those waiting for council houses, and young people trying to get on the housing market.

"If you don't like a policy - this is where it can be changed," he said.

He added that, with more than 20,000 new homes "in the bank", the new plan would be able to tackle other challenges, including poor air quality and responding to issues highlighted by the pandemic.

The LDP will go through a number of stages and be put before inspectors before going to the council for approval in 2024.