Adamsdown Liberal Democrat Focus Team

Planning Application - 213 to 215 Newport Road

The Council has received the following planning application, which although not in Adamsdown, is likely to be of interest to our residents.

Planning Application: 04/00980/C
Received: 22/04/2004
Applicant: Cadwyn Housing Association, 197 Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 1AJ
Agent: Latter Davies, 6 Park Grove, Cardiff, CF10 3BN
Proposal: Change of use: previously nursing and residential home, currently vacant, to hostel.
At: 213-215, Newport Road, Plasnewydd, Cardiff

Cadwyn Housing Association want to convert the former nursing home at 213–215 Newport to a hostel for the homeless. They have indicated they wish to upgrade the building and provide 24 bedrooms with a total of 59 bed spaces for homeless people. They are proposing that the hostel would be staffed 24 hours a day.

We are delivering a letter to all homes in the area telling them about the application.

The application can be inspected during normal working hours at the Regulatory Services Department at City Hall. If you have any comments that you would like to be taken into account by the council's planning committee before it decides whether or not to grant this application, then please send them in writing to:

Phil Williams
Development Manager
Regulatory Services
City Hall
Cardiff
CF10 3ND
or e-mail developmentcontrol@cardiff.gov.uk
Please quote the planning application number, 04/00980/C, when you write.

C Business

Nigel had a meeting today with Mike Wardle, a Development Worker with The Scarman Trust. Mike is looking to provide support and assistance to community groups that wish to set up Community Enterprises. Basically setting up businesses and organisations with any profit made either invested back in the organisation or in the local community. Advice supplied includes advice on funding, business planning, fundraising, and working with volunteers. If you have a good idea or are part of an organisation that may benefit from his skills then get in touch.
His telephone number is 029 2049 2801 or you contact him by email on mike.wardle@thescarmantrust.org

Black Bridge Update

The Black Bridge Project is still in the process of being completed. The contractor is due to complete the works within the next couple of weeks.
Unfortunately there have been complaints from local residents regarding the work to date which we have taken up with the council.
A meeting of the council's design team is planned on Tuesday 4th May where the issues are being discussed.
As ever we will keep you posted of developments.

Longcross Street

We have received complaints from residents regarding cars travelling down Longcross Street the wrong way. As a result, Nigel is raising the issue with the Council and the Police and is urging any resident who spots such vehicles to take a note of the registration number and pass them on to him. A review of the signage warning motorists that the street is a one-way street has also been requested.

Bank Holiday Bin Collection

Just to remind everyone that due to the May Day Bank Holiday, next week bin day will be on Thursday (May 6th). Remember to put your bags out no earlier than 7pm on Wednesday evening or before 7am on Thursday morning.

The recycling services will be as normal - next green bag collection will be this Friday, 30th April. Green Bags can be purchased from:
Clifton Street Post Office
Ash Stores, Broadway.

West Adamsdown Renewal Area

The Cabinet of the Council has approved the declaration of West Adamsdown as a renewal area. The report can be viewed here. We fully support the move as a measure to improve the housing stock within the area.

Tin Street Parking Update

We have received no adverse comments from residents regarding the council's proposal to amend the parking restrictions on Tin Street (see post from Wednesday April 14th).
As such we will be supporting the proposals.

St Davids Phase II

As part of the St Davids Phase II development in town, a chunk of Adamsdown is being made the subject of a compulsory purchase order.
This is the area between Pellett Street and the TA Centre on Adam Street.
If you would like further information then please contact Nigel or John (see side bar).

Black Bridge

Much of the work on the Black Bridge in Kames Place has taken place. However assurances given regarding part of the side of the bridge don't appear to have been fulfilled. At the moment, pedestrians crossing the bridge can see right into the back gardens of residents living in Adamsdown Lane. And this is causing problems for those residents concerned.
John is chasing up the relevant officers in County Hall to see how the situation can be resolved.

Old Illtydian RFC

We have received concerns from residents regarding the club house of Old Illtydian RFC as follows:

Dumped rubbish - there is a considerable amount of dumped rubbish in the space between the club and No 30 Pearl Street. We have asked that the Council arranges for its removal as soon as possible.

Graffiti - the walls of the club are covered in graffiti which bring the neighbourhood down. Whilst it is not the council's responsibility to clean up graffiti from private buildings, we have asked that representations be made to the club to see what they themselves can do to clean it up.

Focus No 98

Our latest Focus (No 98) has been produced and is in the process of being delivered through Adamsdown's 3,750 letterboxes.

Planning News

The following planning applications have been received for our area:

Received: 02/04/2004
Applicant: Mr. L. & Mrs. M.K. Evans, c/o 16 Pearl Street, Cardiff, CF24 1HD
Agent: CFW Architects, 6 North Road, Cardiff, CF10 3DU
Proposal: GROUND FLOOR REAR EXTENSION
At: Flat 1, 117 Pearl Street, Adamsdown, Cardiff

Received: 01/04/2004
Applicant: Agreed Form Limited, 121 Mount Street, London,
Agent: John Taylor Architects, 280 Kings Road, London.
Proposal: CONVERSION AND EXTENSION OF EXISTING OFFICE BLOCK CONVERTED INTO RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION
At: 38-42, Newport Road, Adamsdown, Cardiff

Received: 06/04/2004
Applicant: Simon Harris, 32 Orbit Street, Adamsdown, Cardiff, CF24 0JX
Proposal: NEW BAY WINDOW TO DWELLING
At: 32 Orbit Street, Adamsdown, Cardiff

Bradley Street

Nigel has reported about 50 blue bags of rubbish that have been dumped on the pavement in Bradley Street. This is of particular concern for residents with mobility problems as the bags are almost blocking the pavement.

Blocked Drain

The blocked drain outside No 169 Pearl Street has been reported for attention. This is near the junction with Arthur Street.

A blocked drain between No's 12 and 14 Blanche Street has also been reported

Latest Action

These were issues that John spotted around the west half of Adamsdown on Sunday while wandering around.

General rubbish and bulky items

- Bed outside 26 Galston St
- Furniture outside 8 Clyde St
- Rubbish in Kames Place
- Rubbish outside Windsor Court, Adamsdown Square
- 2 car batteries at the corner West and South Luton Place
- Broken car glass on the corner of North Luton Place and Moira Place
- Broken bike outside 21 Moira St
- Rubbish at the top of Moira St by the zebra crossing between the telephone pole and junction box
- Rubbish and dumped item in the lane behind Howard Gardens
- Mot car with advertising board on at the junction of System St and Planet St in dangerous condition
- Loose litter in System Street
- Loose paving stones on Eclipse St at its junction with System St
- Small pot hole on Constellation St by the school playing field
- Bedstead in Anderson Place by the side wall of 67
- Carpet at the corner Piercefield Place and Silver St
- An abandoned grey nissan micra, no plates by 1 Gold St

In addition, 27 bin bags at various locations have been reported for clearance and enforcement action.

Also, Nigel has reported street lamp no 1 in Cecil Street as not working

Reported today

Fox Lane - a dumped fridge near Fox Lane
Broadway - a vandalised, English only traffic restriction sign outside No 146.

More clean up required

Nigel has reported the following this morning:

Anderson Place - dumped bin bags just inside the entrance.
Diamond Street - lots of dumped rubbish at its junction with Clifton Street.
Constellation Street - the street sign (near its junction with Metal Street) is badly vandalised and needs replacing.

Hopefully these will be sorted out soon




Councillors Surgery

A reminder that our next Councillors Surgery is this Saturday, 17th April 2004.
Cllr John Dixon will be at Roath Library, Newport Road from 11am to 12pm. No appointment is necessary.

Lane between Stacey Road and Richards Terrace

The Lane between Stacey Road and Richards Terrace has been reported for clearance this morning. Once again unwanted households items have been dumped there.


Moira Terrace

I spoke with staff at CCHA yesterday regarding the unsatisfactory situation regarding their development of part of the synagogue on Moira Terrace.
A combination of a mis-placed container and scaffolding poles has made it difficult for pedestrians, particularly for those in wheelchairs or with buggies.
I have been assured that the container will be re-positioned and that the scaffolding arrangement will be altered.

Meeting with CCHA

This morning, Nigel met with development staff of CCHA to discuss their 2004/05 programme of demolition and rebuild. Also at the meeting, representing CCHA residents, was Gerry Stevens.
The following properties within the Adamsdown ward are scheduled for such works in the forthcoming year:

42 Diamond Street
47 & 48 Metal Street
19 & 20 Copper Street
2 & 14 Galston Street
24 Augusta Street
3 & 4 Planet Street

Assurances were given that work would be carried out in accordance with the established code that has been followed for previous work.

116 Pearl Street

The council is proposing to remove the disabled persons' parking place outside No 116 Pearl Street. This seems sensible as the space is no longer needed. As a result, we will be supporting the proposal.

Community Skips

The community skip scheme is coming to Adamsdown on the following days

Sat 1st May (10am to 4pm) - Anderson Place and junction of Stacey Road/Newport Road

Sun 2nd May (10am to 4pm) - Kames Place and junction of Diamond Street/Cecil Street

Wed 9th June (3.30pm to 7pm) - Kames Place, Anderson Place and junction of Diamond Street/Cecil Street

Thurs 10th June (3.30pm to 7pm) - Kames Place, System Street and junction of Stacey Road/Newport Road

Sun 12th Sept (10am to 4pm) - Kames Place and junction of Diamond Street/Cecil Street

Thurs 23rd Sept (3.30pm to 7pm) - Kames Place, System Street and junction of Stacey Road/Newport Road

A refuse vehicle will be at the above locations for the disposal of unwanted household items.

Park Events & Guided Walks 2004

The Council's Parks Department has produced a booklet detailing park events and guided walks throughout the remainder of 2004.

If you would like a copy of the booklet then give them a ring on 2068 4000

Tin Street Parking Proposals

We are currently consulting with residents of Tin Street regarding the Council's proposal to remove the waiting restrictions in force outside No's 8 to 12 Tin Street.

This should provide much needed parking facilities in an area where there is no off street parking available.

More action around the ward

The following in West Adamsdown have been reported for attention:

Howard Gardens - lots of loose litter that needs sweeping
Howard Terrace - lots of loose litter that needs sweeping
Lane between Howard Terrace and Moira Terrace - dumped cooker
Moira Terrace - Dumped tyre outside No 28
Windsor Mews, Adamsdown Square - Dumped cooker
Meteor Street - Street Lamp No 14 is not working

Adamsdown Community Centre

John has submitted the following response to the Council's consultation regarding the "closure" of Adamsdown Community Centre:

"I am writing on behalf of myself and Cllr Howells in response to the
letter of formal consultation on the proposed transfer of management of
the Adamsdown Community Centre to the Family Contact Centre:

Both Nigel and I were on the Policy Review and Audit Scrutiny Committee
that took evidence prior to the decision to take over the running of
the STAR centre. At no time was it mentioned during this process that
the decision had implications for other nearby facilities. The
impression that the committee was left with, given the statements and
answers to questions that we had during the scrutiny process, was that
the status quo would be maintained and that there was no question of
our being presented with an either/or choice. Had it been so, it's
quite possible that there would have been a great deal more reticence
about our recommendation to proceed with the transfer.

I would be interested to know why, if it is the STAR funding which has
caused this, why Adamsdown Community Hall has been singled out as
opposed to other geographically closer facilities, like East Moors.
Not, I add because I think there should be a hit list to save money, or
that East Moors should be taken over - many of my residents do use its
facilities, and if it were there that had been the choice, I would have
been equally vociferous in its defence too. I'm just interested in
knowing how the decision was arrived at, not having been a party to it,
and not having the reasons explained in the letter you sent.

The recent survey carried out as part of the Neighbourhood Renewal
Assessment identified a major concern as being the lack of facilities
for teenagers in the area. Given the tribal nature of the groups here,
I do not believe that there is much chance of the Youth Outreach Team
persuading them to use East Moors or STAR, as they are not on their
'patch'. Plasnewydd and Roath Community Halls are simply too far away.
So this decision, as well as evading scrutiny, is also a step back in
service provision aimed at a particularly hard to reach group of
socially excluded young adults.

It would seem a startling lack of joined up thinking to then propose
that the only suitable facility in the Regeneration Area is lost to
general use. I know you say that if there is spare capacity they will
consider outside users, but my understanding is that the Family Contact
Centre has problems in finding the capacity for its own work. My
contacts seem to think that there will therefore be no spare capacity,
and therefore no opportunity for outside users.

I notice that in your list of those who have been rehoused, there is no
mention of the Adamsdown Community Forum or any of their groups which
use the Community Hall. From talking to them, I can assure you that all
the users of the Hall have not been found suitable alternative
arrangements or even, in their case, contacted.

Finally, I would question the sincerity of this consultation, given
that staff have already been relocated out of the Hall. I have in the
past been assiduous in my trying to agree matters or settle conflict
through proper channels, rather than bang out a press release and
practice megaphone negotiation. However, the way this issue has been
handled, and the way that it is obvious to me that we are being
presented with a fait accompli, with the council waiting on the
statutory consultation period before implementation anyway, makes me
question the value of trying to stick to the procedures set out in the
constitution. Otherwise why shift the staff out if the decision hasn't
already been made?"

Richards Terrace - Street Letter

The following letter is being distributed today to 120 houses in Richards Terrace and surrounding streets:


13th April 2004

Dear Resident

Planning Application – 59A Broadway and 1, 3 & 5 Richards Terrace

Further to our previous letters, we are pleased to inform you that the applicant has withdrawn the above planning application.

Prior to the withdrawal, the council had received objections from Cllr Nigel Howells, Cllr John Dixon and Jenny Randerson AM.

In addition many local residents had submitted their own objections and there was a large petition of objection signed by almost every resident in Richards Terrace.

Although the application has been withdrawn, there is no stopping a further application being submitted at a later date. As ever, we will keep you informed should that be the case.

In the meantime, if we can be of assistance with any other matter then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

You can contact us on the phone numbers listed below, e-mail us as indicated below, or write to the Focus Team at the address listed at the top of this letter.

Cllr. Nigel Howells 2046 5233 nigel@adamsdown.org.uk
Cllr. John Dixon 2046 5351 john @adamsdown.org.uk
Jenny Willott 2049 2227 jennywillott@yahoo.co.uk
Jenny Randerson AM 2089 8355 jenny@jennyranderson.com

Kind regards

Yours sincerely

The Focus Team

Rubbish Reported

Following a tour of the streets to the East of Clifton Street, the following have been reported to the Council for attention:

Helen Street Park - a build up of litter and glass has been reported for clearance;
Helen Place - more rubbish has been dumped behind the Locomotive pub;
Emerald Street - 6 rubbish bags have been dumped at the blocked off end of the street;
Topaz Street - smelly drains outside No's 28 and 50 have been reported for attention;
Nora Street - the street is littered with rubbish and broken glass and needs a good sweep;
Nora Street - the street sign by the park has been vandalised by graffiti and needs replacing;
Sapphire Street - black bags have been dumped at the blocked off end of the street, at the side of No 49; and
Emerald Street - the lane leading to Nora Street is once again almost blocked by rubbish.

Hopefully we will see some action soon to clear up these areas.

Richards Terrace - Planning Update

Good news for residents of Richards Terrace - we understand that following our and residents objections, the current application to convert 1,3 and 5 Richards Terrace into flats has been withdrawn. There's no guarantee that further proposals won't come forward at some later date - as ever we'll keep you posted.

Licensing Matters

Following this week's Licensing Committee, of which Nigel is a member, the following press release has been issued:

Time almost up for "Time Flies"

At a meeting of the Council's Licensing Committee on Wednesday 7th April, two applications for late night events at Evolution by "Time Flies" were deferred.

Evolution, on behalf of "Time Flies", had applied for 6am Public Entertainment Licenses for 29th May, 28th August and 30th October 2004. However only the first of these was granted due to concerns regarding how the event would be marketed and advertised.

Speaking at the meeting, Lib Dem Councillor Jane Reece, who represents Cathays, said:

"We have had trouble in the past with these sorts of events. It's not the events themselves, but the way that our City becomes plastered with posters advertising them. From empty shops to post boxes, nothing is spared in the pursuit of free publicity. It's got to stop"

Cllr Nigel Howells, who is the Liberal Democrat Licensing spokesperson added:

"Fly posting is a scourge on our society. Not only is it ugly but it also costs the council a small fortune to clear up. We have served notice to promoters of large dance events that we will no longer tolerate it."

Anyone who has seen the flyposting on Clifton Street and Broadway will surely agree with this action.

138 Broadway

We are pleased to note that the rubbish that was accumulating in the yard of the takeaway at 138 Broadway ("The Lemon Grass") has now been cleared. Many thanks to the local residents who brought this to our attention.

Richards Terrace Update

We received a petition from residents of Richards Terrace yesterday objecting to the planning application to turn 1,3 and 5 Richards Terrace into flats.

Nigel, John and Jenny Randerson AM have already objected to the proposals and so have many, many local residents. The application will be considered by the Council's planning committee in a few weeks time.

Welcome

Welcome to our blog. Our intention is that this site will be updated regularly and feature our campaigns and work as representatives of the Adamsdown ward of Cardiff City Council.