It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:23 am


Cardiff LDP Progress

if it's about Cardiff.. Sport, Entertainment, Transportation, Business, Development Projects, Leisure, Eating, Drinking, Nightlife, Shopping, Train Spotting! etc.. then we want it here!
  • Author
  • Message
Offline

Simon_SW17

  • Posts: 594
  • Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 4:07 pm

Re: Cardiff LDP Progress

PostWed Mar 22, 2017 3:49 pm

Those houses look like Thornhill in the 1980s, not an ounce of design or any interesting features, crap basically.
Offline

moyceyyy

  • Posts: 340
  • Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2017 2:03 pm
  • Location: Llanelli

Re: Cardiff LDP Progress

PostWed Mar 22, 2017 3:58 pm

Not too much of a problem with the actual design of the houses, especially because as much as 30% could be affordable. By todays standards, thats a lot.

But.. good lord..

WHERE is the active frontage????? Those streets will have no life, no interaction. Theres a massive 10ft brick wall separating the pavement and grass for fuck sake.
Offline

Karl

  • Posts: 463
  • Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 2:35 pm

Re: Cardiff LDP Progress

PostWed Mar 22, 2017 4:20 pm

I'm not sure what you expected. This is a Persimmon development in a very suburban location. The architecture was always going to be cookie cutter guff. Persmmon were primarily responsible for Pontprennau for gods sake, the antithesis of good urban design.

I'm not surprised or particularly upset by the bland and cautious approach to the design of the houses. I think what is more important is the layout. There needs to be a bit of density and an end to the long, twisty cul de sacs that categorise places like St Mellons and Thorhill and which isolate the inhabitants from public transport and services.

From what I recall from the DAS there is some degree of hope that this wont turn out completely awful. The Unicorn pub and the church are a ready made focal point and my understanding is that there is to be a sort of 'village green' in that vicinity with some other shops and services. I think the amount of houses (1,200) in that area also points to a certain degree of density and the planned extension of the Rhymney Trail will be a bonus.
Offline

murfilicious

  • Posts: 183
  • Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 3:41 pm
  • Location: Cardiff

Re: Cardiff LDP Progress

PostWed Mar 22, 2017 5:08 pm

Karl wrote:I'm not sure what you expected. This is a Persimmon development in a very suburban location. The architecture was always going to be cookie cutter guff.

Totally agree with this, although by the standards of some developments I've seen recently this is far from the worst!
Some days you are the pigeon and some days you are the statue...
Offline

Lyndon

  • Posts: 267
  • Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2014 4:39 pm

Re: Cardiff LDP Progress

PostWed Mar 22, 2017 6:53 pm

At least there's no sign (yet) of that horrible, mock-Georgian Trumpton stuff.
Offline

Mr Blue Sky

  • Posts: 408
  • Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 12:55 pm

Re: Cardiff LDP Progress

PostWed Mar 22, 2017 7:13 pm

Access will be difficult though, given the lack of public transport options and the already congested connecting roads. This community will need a health centre, a primary school, a small supermarket, a convenience shop, a couple of hairdressers and a couple of takeaways. If they're not built the traffic will be constant from dawn till 9pm and the pressure on such amenities in neighbouring communities will be increased.

I think Pontprennau (far less successful than Thornhill imho) has only just got its primary school after waiting twenty years.

Looking at the website I see that there will be a 4000sq ft convenience store, a primary school and a cafe. These don't really seem to be enough to cater for around 3000 people. There is roughly one hairdresser/barber shop for every 1000 people in the U.K. Surely a few retail units dotted around and a small parade would be a good idea? Especially since walking from this community to anywhere else will be quite an undertaking.
Offline

RandomComment

  • Posts: 881
  • Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:50 pm

Re: Cardiff LDP Progress

PostWed Mar 22, 2017 8:16 pm

I would have thought something more than a single convenience store would have been useful too. However, the developers would probably have looked into this in considerable detail. It always sounds nice to potential occupants if you can highlight local amenities like a hairdresser, etc. Given that, the developer must have thought there was such a high chance the units would struggle to attract an occupier, that they decided not to go ahead. Look at the struggle at Celestia, despite the nearby day time office staff too, and what must be approaching a similar number of units in Celestia and Adventurer's Quay combined.
Offline

Mr Blue Sky

  • Posts: 408
  • Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 12:55 pm

Re: Cardiff LDP Progress

PostWed Mar 22, 2017 10:05 pm

RandomComment wrote:I would have thought something more than a single convenience store would have been useful too. However, the developers would probably have looked into this in considerable detail. It always sounds nice to potential occupants if you can highlight local amenities like a hairdresser, etc. Given that, the developer must have thought there was such a high chance the units would struggle to attract an occupier, that they decided not to go ahead. Look at the struggle at Celestia, despite the nearby day time office staff too, and what must be approaching a similar number of units in Celestia and Adventurer's Quay combined.


Yes, I agree that commercial considerations will have scuppered the provision of more retail. I've spent a bit of time in this area recently as I've had physical therapy at a practice in the Cardiff Gate business park. Initially, as I couldn't drive due to physical difficulties, I got the bus up there from Churchill way. It is a good service and doesn't take too long. I've driven up on subsequent journeys. What struck me was the almost total absence of pedestrians in the area. I did see a man plodding through the mud on a roadside verge, in an Alan Partridge-like manner. If people in St Edeyrns want to use the facilities at the Pontprennau retail park or at Cardiff gate services they will have to drive - it isn't safe to walk or cycle.

Persimmon aren't creating a functional community. They are building homes and then abandoning the owners to a fate worse than that endured by the residents of Thornhill or Pontprennau. The homes look decent value for Cardiff - around £300,000 for a decent-sized 4 bed detached house. But I feel that with the inevitable transport problems and the lack of amenities the place is doomed to be far less than it could have been if there had been just a little more provision of retail/leisure facilities.
Offline

murfilicious

  • Posts: 183
  • Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 3:41 pm
  • Location: Cardiff

Re: Cardiff LDP Progress

PostThu Mar 23, 2017 9:23 am

Mr Blue Sky wrote:What struck me was the almost total absence of pedestrians in the area. I did see a man plodding through the mud on a roadside verge, in an Alan Partridge-like manner. If people in St Edeyrns want to use the facilities at the Pontprennau retail park or at Cardiff gate services they will have to drive - it isn't safe to walk or cycle.

Never thought I'd be defending Pontprennau here but I'm going to try - the reason you never see any pedestrians in the area is because there are footpaths away from the major roads (using old country lanes I believe) and up until recently there were no footpaths on the Pentwyn Link Road. So if you had somebody living down near the A48 interchange who wanted to get to Cardiff Gate Retail Park, they wouldn't walk along side the busy Link Road because they know about the routes through the housing estates behind.

It's the same for the business park, if you take a walk around it at lunch time (and I often do as I work here) there are literally hundreds of people walking, almost all to the retail park. But again, you wont see them along side the link road because there is a footpath between the business park and retail park away from the main roads.

The proposed layout for St Edeyrn's Village shows a number of footpaths linking into these existing footpaths, and a new series of pedestrian crossings have been built around the roundabout on the link road. There are also plans to extend the existing bus service in the area (currently terminates outside Asda) into St Edeyrn's.

I think, in fairness to Persimmon, they've not done too bad a job... Again, I've seen worse
Some days you are the pigeon and some days you are the statue...
Offline

jonbvn

  • Posts: 133
  • Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2016 12:41 pm

Re: Cardiff LDP Progress

PostThu Mar 23, 2017 11:35 am

murfilicious wrote:
Mr Blue Sky wrote:What struck me was the almost total absence of pedestrians in the area. I did see a man plodding through the mud on a roadside verge, in an Alan Partridge-like manner. If people in St Edeyrns want to use the facilities at the Pontprennau retail park or at Cardiff gate services they will have to drive - it isn't safe to walk or cycle.

Never thought I'd be defending Pontprennau here but I'm going to try - the reason you never see any pedestrians in the area is because there are footpaths away from the major roads (using old country lanes I believe) and up until recently there were no footpaths on the Pentwyn Link Road. So if you had somebody living down near the A48 interchange who wanted to get to Cardiff Gate Retail Park, they wouldn't walk along side the busy Link Road because they know about the routes through the housing estates behind.

It's the same for the business park, if you take a walk around it at lunch time (and I often do as I work here) there are literally hundreds of people walking, almost all to the retail park. But again, you wont see them along side the link road because there is a footpath between the business park and retail park away from the main roads.

The proposed layout for St Edeyrn's Village shows a number of footpaths linking into these existing footpaths, and a new series of pedestrian crossings have been built around the roundabout on the link road. There are also plans to extend the existing bus service in the area (currently terminates outside Asda) into St Edeyrn's.

I think, in fairness to Persimmon, they've not done too bad a job... Again, I've seen worse


As a very keen walker living in this area of Cardiff, I can confirm that you are correct. Interestingly, you can get from Ball Road in Llanrumney, across the river on a footbridge, under the A48 and then along a footpath between Pontprennau & Pentwyn most of the way to the retail park. In my travels around Cardiff I have found numerous footpaths and access-ways that are little known or used.
PreviousNext

Return to Cardiff Wales Map forum

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Simon__200 and 38 guests