Outraged neighbors have lost their last round of battle to stop the demolition of a £300,000 ‘perfectly good’ house in their leafy suburban cul-de-sac to make way for a cycle path.
The less than 20-year-old four-bedroom private residence is being bulldozed to create a cycle route to a new ‘affordable’ housing development.
The £300,000 house demolition order is part of plans for 45 new social housing units to be added to their existing private homes on Cardiff’s leafy suburbs.
Families lost a planning battle against the cycle path and footpath through their quiet suburban cul-de-sac after approval by Cardiff Council on Tuesday.
A petition to ‘Red number 43’ was signed by nearly 300 people calling on the municipality to reject the route plans in the suburb of commuter housing in Pontprennau.
The £300,000 house, pictured above, in Cardiff was built less than 20 years ago, but its demolition was approved by the council on Tuesday
The proposed cycle route, as shown in red, will replace the house, leading to affordable housing. It will provide a ‘strategic active travel connection’ for residents and a safe alternative to cars
Residents Rob Lee (left) and married couple Vaughan and Alison Williams (right) believe they are at risk for higher crime rates as the alley becomes a ‘rat run’
Neighbor Joanna Fashan presented the petition to Cardiff City Council’s planning committee – in a desperate battle to save their privacy.
She said: “Residents deliberately bought real estate on this street because it was a closed cul-de-sac, knowing we could raise our family safely, retire peacefully, feel safe living alone, and all the other positive things that come with it.” has life in such a street.
“This alley makes for a rat run. We therefore run the risk of higher crime rates, for example from opportunistic car thieves. This puts the safety and security of the entire community at risk.”
The house was bought over a year ago by property developers United Welsh bought this house about a year ago and rents it out before demolition.
Emma Fortune, a planning agent representing the developers, said: ‘This footpath and cycle path will be an important strategic active travel link for residents.
‘The link offers a safe and convenient alternative, so that residents can walk or cycle instead of by car.’
Some neighbors complained about creating a ‘ghetto’ for social housing.
Neighbors have also raised questions about its link to the new development that will be ‘plonked’ in isolated fields
Residents Rob Lee (right) and married couple Vaughan and Alison (left) launched the ‘Save Number 43’ petition – it received nearly 300 signatures but prevented the plans from being approved by City Council
But an alderman hit back by saying that people like ‘lawyers and engineers’ live in social housing.
Cllr Ali Ahmed said: ‘We are not creating a ghetto. Most people who live in social housing, some of them are lawyers, lawyers, engineers, you name it. Yes, we’re destroying one house, but we’re trying to provide 45 much-needed homes for the people of Cardiff.’
Six councilors on the planning committee voted to authorize the settlement – two voted against and two abstained.
Vaughan and Alison Williams are both retired and have lived in their home for over 20 years, but are now considering moving.
They said: ‘We have no problem with social housing and when we bought our property it was in a quiet cul-de-sac.
‘Due to the demolition, we don’t feel safe and the dynamics of the street change. You don’t expect a perfectly good house to be demolished.
‘The cycle path leads to nowhere, there are no shops at the bottom of the road.
“If the decision was not reversed, we would eventually move because our dynamics would completely change.
‘As a municipality, we have no objection to social housing here, only the bicycle path.’
The neighbors deny they are “not in my backyard” nimbies trying to block the people living in the affordable houses.
Pictured above is resident Vaughan who said the bike path would completely change the ‘dynamics’ of the dead end
Despite residents’ unrest, Developers United Welsh say the development will provide affordable, high-quality housing
Action group chairman Rob Lee said: ‘Even if you built luxury five-bedroom houses, we would oppose the plan, if it involves demolishing one of our homes and destroying our way of life’
Residents also questioned the isolated nature of the development plotted ‘between fields with no amenities or connectivity’.
Mr. Lee said, ‘This is going to drive down people in affordable housing.’
Developers United Welsh say it’s important that the new builds “integrate well” with the community.
A spokesperson said: ‘This development will provide much needed high quality housing for affordable rent and first-time buyers.
‘It is important that the proposed new homes integrate well with the community and that pedestrians and cyclists have sufficient access to local amenities and amenities.
‘Local residents are consulted as part of the planning process.’