PLANS to demolish a Cardiff warehouse have been given the go-ahead despite outcry from neighbours over possible redevelopment at the site.
Cardiff Council has decided Cardiff Community Housing Association (CCHA) does not need prior approval to demolish a warehouse in an inner-city ward.
The cover letter for the application describes the warehouse, located at 2 Gwennyth Street in Cathays, as being “in a derelict condition for over five years”.
The plans submitted to the council have no mention of any possible development of the site and are strictly limited to demolition.
Despite this a group of neighbours objected to the plans. They wrote: “It is reasonable to anticipate that demolition would facilitate future redevelopment of the site, which would likely exacerbate already significant pressures in this local area.”
Key concerns laid out in their letter to the council include overdevelopment and density, pressure from nearby developments such as on the former Gower Pub site and Crwys Road, parking and highway safety issues, waste management and environmental concerns, and the impact on community character and amenity.
Regarding the last point they wrote that development in Cathays has already led to a “diminished sense of community and local amenity” and that further development risks “eroding the quality of life for long-term residents”.
The group also expressed concerns about the immediate impact of the demolition including noise, dust, vibration over “extended periods”, and impacts on access, safety, and residential amenity.
The objections reads: “We strongly believe that permitting demolition at this stage would facilitate further overdevelopment in an already constrained area and would be contrary to the interests of local residents and the sustainable planning of the neighbourhood.”
The officer’s report reads: “With regard to the site context and the details submitted it is considered that the proposal is unlikely to have a significant impact upon its surroundings.”
The report also pointed to noise, vibration, and dust management plans contained with the plans.
