Public Inquiry into Western Powers 4th application!

Cardiff City Council has won its case against Western Power's challenge in the County Court to terminate its tenancy of Lanishen Reservoir. "The Council is now entitiled to a new lease of the site," and Cardiff's high quality Sailing Centre can remain open.

Public Inquiry again -

The Public Inquiry into Western Power's Fourth Planning Application will be held in Committee Rooms 3 and 4 of County Hall, Cardiff Bay from Monday to Friday each week between the hours of 10.00am to 5.00 pm.

The Inspector, Mr. Richard Potterton, will open the Inquiry at 10.00am on Wednesday 28h May 2008 and it is expected to last for 12 days. The first three days will be concerned with procedural matters and the opening addresses of Counsels on behalf of the Applicant, the County Council and the Reservoir Action Group. The Council will present its case and call its witnesses.

On Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd June RAG's case will be presented and its witnesses will give their evidence.

On Wednesday 4th June witnesses on behalf of other organisations and individuals will give their evidence. Thereafter Western Power will argue its case and call its witnesses. This will be followed by RAG, the Council and then Western Power, in that order, making their final submissions to the Inspector. The Inquiry is scheduled to close on or about 12th June.

I am now calling upon RAG members to give our team as much support as possible at the Inquiry by attending as often as they can and especially on the Opening day (28th May) and on 2nd and 3rd June when RAG will be presenting its case. A large public attendance at the Inquiry would make it abundantly clear to the Inspector that local residents are strongly opposed to any development on Llanishen Reservoir and believe that a Country Park is a much better alternative for the site.

Card Parking at County Hall is a real problem. However there is a pay and display car park nearby.

You can also park in the Red Dragon Centre car park opposite County Hall where you can either pay to exit. OR you can go into the Red Dragon Centre and spend at least £4.00 per vehicle in one of the cafés, (2 cups of coffee and cakes) and get them to mark your parking ticket so you get out of the car park for free.

I very much hope to see you there - it should be very interesting.

Ted Thurgood Chairman RAG.

..time for the law to be changed to stop repeat applications ..such a waste of time and money ....allows the profiteers to gain at our expense!

Charles Church threaten Pantmawr Inn again?

To make contact with the Planning Inspectorate for people wishing to make their representations about the pantmwr inn again because of the appeal by Charles Church who it seems still want to knock down the Inn and build flats!

The Planning Inspectorate Crown Buildings Cathays Park Cardiff CF10 3NQ bs
Telephone: 029 2082 3866 Fax: 029 2082 5150
wales@planning-inspectorate.gsi.gov.uk
wales@pins.gsi.gov.uky .

Patmawr Inn Appeal

We are sorry to advise that Mitchells and Butler and Charles Church have appealed against the Pantmawr Inn Decision.

We are putting out a flyer to every house in Pantmawr to advise them of this over the next few days.

A public meeting has been arranged for Monday 26th May, 7pm at All Saints Church Hall.

Please contact us with your views which we will forward to the National Assembly for Wales.

Best wishes

Jayne, Adrian and Brian

Vote Green - Greenwash of the week! Rhiwbina

Stop garden grabbing - we didn't stop the destruction in Beulah Road - Gareth Neale, Tory Rhiwbina, supported the profiteering developer and spoke up for him at the council meeting.

See Heol Briwnant Garden Grabbing environmental disaster


However, the tide is turning as the community stand up to the council and developers.


This garden development was stopped.

The Pantmawr Inn development was stopped.



The councils own application to drivr a huge road into Bute Park was stopped.

Beware of Green Wash - real greens go out in the wind and rain and take ACTION!!! The greenwash of the week goes to Rhodri Morgan who wrote to the Pantmawr Inn campaign to say how pleased he was they won!!! Blatent electioneering!!! Perhaps he could legislate - take action to stop gardens and public amenities being treated as 'Brownfield sites'!

Vote green in Cardiff in Rhiwbina and Canton.

See the slide show on the left of a garden grabbing story in Rhiwbina where a lovely bungalow was demolished to be replaced by 2 blots on the landscape - 2 dreadful looking houses with one drive - on the edge of a conservation area.

Let the councillors responsible know what YOU think when you vote this week!

Council Secrecy over Bute Park Road fiasco!

Info Request - Bute Park New Access etc. Appln 07/02649/CJeff Salmon, Group Leader (Strategic Services)

Dear Mr Salmon, Representation under Reg.11(1) of the EIR 2004-------------------------------
Thank you for your e-reply of 2nd April. It appears you have failed to comply with the requirement of these Regulations for disclosure of information. As you say, the planning officer's report was prepared and e-mailed to the Council's committee services division by 2pm on the 12th March inpreparation for printing / distribution.Later that day, a meeting was called on the initiative of the Council's Chief Executive to "review the report", which led to it being withdrawn from the Agenda by the Chief Strategic Planning and Environment Officer, prior to its publication, "in order that the applicant be allowed to respond to Cadw's comments". As you have not supplied a written request from the applicant to that effect [nor claimed exemption under Reg.12(4)(e)], I presume the withdrawal request was made verbally at the meeting by the applicant (or an agent for the applicant). The report or at least key parts of it, which might have included Cadw's comments, were considered at that meeting.You would agree, therefore, that the report was a completed document, sent outside your section (development control division) for printing and distribution, and reviewed at a meeting of outside officers probably including the applicant or agent.That it was not "published" and that you would probably amend it if the proposal (still "live") is taken to a future Committee are not relevant for the legislation. The document for the 19 March Committee which I requested is not "in the course of completion", so exemption under Reg.12(4)(d) is invalid. I therefore appeal under Regulation 11(1) and would prefer to receive the report in electronic form by e-mail.You did not refer to Reg 11 in advising me (20 March e-mail) to set out in writing the grounds of appeal and send to The Information Manager, Cardiff Council, Room 112, County Hall, Cardiff, CF10 4UW. I read Reg. 11 as requiring the appeal be sent to the same public authority who refused disclosure, not to an agent who also acts for other interested parties.In deciding my appeal, would you also decide that the Cadw letter and similar representations from official bodies should also be disclosed, being completed documents held in your file, and inform me when I could view them at your offices?
Regards,Max Wallis

On Wed, 2 Apr 2008 15:04:26 Salmon, Jeff wrote

Dear Mr Wallis, The planning officer's report, intended for presentation to the planning committee scheduled to sit on the 19th of March, was prepared and e-mailed to the Council's committee services division by 2pm on the 12th March in preparation for printing / distribution.
Neither the report or its recommendation were made available to the applicant by the development control division at that time. However, by the close of play that day, the Chief Executive of the Council had asked that a meeting take place to review the report prior to its release. The report was thereafter withdrawn from the agenda by the Chief Strategic Planning and Environment Officer, prior to its publication, in order that the applicant be allowed to respond to Cadw's comments, which as you are aware were only received shortly before the deadline for report preparation.
I would confirm therefore that the application is still a 'live' application and as such may be further amended by the applicant, re-consulted upon, and any new proposals / additional information reconsidered by planning officers prior to the report being finalised and released for member or public information. Ordinarily planning committee reports are made public 3 days before they are considered by planning committee, and you will of course be allowed to view any finalised report at that time. Further planning committee meetings are scheduled for the 16th April, 11th June and 9th July. It is unlikely that the report will be reported to the April committee, and I cannot yet confirm at which subsequent meeting the proposals may be considered at this time, however you will be consulted on any amended proposals as may come forward.
I hope this satisfactorily answers your questions. mailto:j.salmon@cardiff.gov.ukP> Jeff Salmon Group Leader (Strategic Services) / Arweinydd Grŵp (Gwasanaethau Strategol) Tel / Ffô: (029) 2087 2981 Fax / Ffacs : (029) 2087 1817 E-Mail / E-bost : mailto:j.salmon@cardiff.gov.uk j.salmon@cardiff.gov.uk ----

-Original Message----- From: Max Wallis Sent: 26 March 2008 19:20> To: Salmon, Jeff> Cc: Hansen,Nigel; Cole, Richard>
Subject: Re:Info Request - Bute Park New Access etc. Appln 07/02649/C> Jeff Salmon, Group Leader (Strategic Services)
Dear Mr Salmon,Thank you for your prompt e-mail response of 20th March copied below, that refused disclosure of documents. It was incomplete and I seek further information relating to it.On 18th March I e-mailed: "As discussed, I would make a request to see the report on thisapplication that was prepared last week for the 19th March Committee. I expect the applicant would have seen it when deciding to request withdrawal from Committee. Could I please see that request too?"1. You have overlooked the second part of this request - would you respond?2. The reason given for refusal is "the report has not been finalised and was withdrawn". I suspect that at issue is the interpretation of "finalised". It was known in advance that CADW would respond "late", so that appears irrelevant. Could you therefore supply an audit trail detailing the processes the report passed through with dates? I presume these would include:
# the case officer finalising his report for the 19th March Committee papers
# endorsements by the team leader or section head or development manager as required under your procedure
# if and when sent from the office for printing for the Committee
# when the applicant requested withdrawal, be word of mouth, e-mail or formal letter as appropriate.
I look forward to your response under the EI Regs 2004. Regards Max Wallis ----------------------------------------------> On 20 Mar 2008 at 17:10, Salmon, Jeff wrote:> > Dear Mr Wallis,Thank you for your request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 concerning Planning Application 07/02649/C, Bute Park New Access received on the 18th March 2008.We have considered your request and on this occasion we cannot supply the information you have requested. In accordance with Regulation 14 of the Environmental Information Regulations this letter acts as a Refusal Notice. The exemption applied is Regulation 12 (4) (d) and this exemption applies because the report has not been finalised and was withdrawn by the Chief Strategic Planning and Environment Officer from the Planning Committee to be> held on the 19th March.The reason why, is that as a result of recent changes to the scheme, Cadw were re-consulted and responded only shortly before the deadline for publishing the Committee agenda. The applicant therefore wishes additional time to consider and respond toCadwas comments before the report is finalised for presentation to Committee. At this point we do not know which meeting the application will be reported to. In respect of the fact that the proposal is likely to be further amended, and that the responses to further re-consultation may vary, on balance it is considered that on this occasion, that the public interest in maintaining the exemption, outweighs the public interest> > in disclosing the information. Although we cannot meet your request this time, if you have any further information needs in the future then please do not hesitate to contact me.You have the right to appeal against our decision. If you wish to appeal please set out in writing your grounds of appeal and send to The Information Manager, Cardiff Council, Room 112, County Hall, Cardiff, CF10 4UW.You also have the right, under section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act to apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision whether, in any specified respect, your request forinformation has been dealt with in accordance with the requirementsof Part I of the regulations. The Commissioner will however normally require you to pursue an internal appeal to the Council before considering such an application. You can find out more about the regulations from the Information Commissioner at:Information Commissioner's Office (Wales) Cambrian Buildings Mount Stuart Square CardiffCF10 5FL http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/eventual.aspx?id=33<http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/eventual.aspx?id=33 Telephone: 029 2044 8044 Fax: 029 2044 8045 Email: Wales@ico.gsi.gov.uk mailto:Wales@ico.gsi.gov.uk Yours Sincerely
mailto:j.salmon@cardiff.gov.ukP Jeff Salmon Group Leader (Strategic Services) / Arweinydd Grŵp (Gwasanaethau Strategol)Tel / Ffôn : (029) 2087 2981 Fax / Ffacs : (029) 2087 1817 E-Mail / E-bost : FOIStrategicPlanningandEnvironment@cardiff.gov.uk
-----Original Message-----From: Max Wallis Sent: 18 March 2008 17:03 To: Hansen,Nigel; Cole, RichardSubject: Re: Bute Park New Access etc. Appln 07/02649/CNigel Hansen, Team Leader,Cardiff Planning/Development Control As discussed, I would make a request to see the report on thisapplication that was prepared last week for the 19th March Committee. I expect the applicant would have seen it when deciding to request withdrawal from Committee. Could I please see that request too?Under the Environmental Information Regs 2004, it is "completed" documents that have to be disclosed, which would cover the report.
Also, disclosure is to be "as soon as possible" (unlike the 20 working days allowed under the Freedom of Information Act) so could I come and see it later this week? MaxWallis

Pantmawr Inn refused

Thanks to cllr Jayne Cowan

RECOMMENDATION
1: That planning permission be REFUSED for the following reasons:
1) The proposed development by virtue of its scale and massing would be out of keeping with the pattern and density of development in the surrounding area and would appear obtrusive and over-dominant when viewed from neighbouring properties, to the detriment of visual amenity, residential amenity and the character of the area and contrary to policy 11 of the Cardiff Local Plan, policies 2.20 and 2.24 of the deposit Cardiff Unitary Development Plan and paragraph 9.3.3 of Planning Policy Wales.

2) The density of the proposed development is such that the development would be contrary to policy 2.24 of the Cardiff Unitary Development Plan in that there would not be an adequate distance between facing habitable room windows of dwellings within the application site and between such windows of the proposed dwellings and existing dwellings surrounding the site to maintain a satisfactory standard of privacy.

Pantmawr saved!

A great result - the planning committee saw sense and rejected the application.
http://www.savepantmawr.org/ Time for a change in council policy so the destruction of community facilities is not considered again.