The preliminary results of our survey are in! And the news is not good... Just over 70% of you disagree, or strongly disagree, with the following statement: 'My phone always works well wherever I am in Radyr and Morganstown'. And almost 83% of you agree, or strongly agree, that the signal strength in Radyr and Morganstown needs to be improved: This is where the residents of Radyr and Morganstown use their phones: And this is what they think of the signal strength in some of those places: Over 66% of you think the signal is poor or terrible in Station Road: 54% find the signal at Radyr Station to be poor or terrible: And 66% of you think the signal is poor or terrible where you live. The survey is now closed.
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Many residents of Radyr and Morganstown will be all too familiar with the roadworks at the junction of Heol Isaf and Llantrisant Road. The traffic cones; the temporary lights; the random traffic queues; the occasional minor alteration to the route; the big yellow tractors; the bumpy roads... Will it ever end?! Sometimes, it can look as if the roadworks are almost done. We can see the shape of the new junction. Posts have been installed, to hold the new road signs. Kerbstones have been laid... Surely, all that remains is to install the proposed traffic lights, connect them to the electricity supply, lay some more tarmac - and we're done? However, there is much more to this than meets the eye. We spoke with Plasdwr about progress - and this is what we've learned. This is not a simple task. On the contrary, this is highly complex. Connecting Plasdŵr to life's vital services is going to take some time. And it will happen at several places along Llantrisant Road, between Radyr and the western boundary of Plasdŵr. To make matters even more complicated, Plasdŵr will involve several house-building companies - all working to their own timescales. And as each tranche of houses is developed, it will need its own supply of water, electricity, gas, communications - and a sewerage system. And, from time to time, an SUD will be required (a sustainable drainage system) which will involve roadside works - and associated pipes and services that may also need to cross Llantrisant Road. As you can see from the list of vital services, this work will involve many different companies (such as Welsh Water, BT and several other utility providers). All working to different timescales - and all needling the appropriate planning permissions and licenses from the appropriate authorities. So the bad news is that we face many years of roadworks along Llantrisant Road, with the Heol Isaf / Llantrisant Road junction being the first of many - to be followed closely by changes to the Clos Parc Radyr junction. Both of these junctions will end up controlled by traffic lights. Cardiff Council has assured us that the timing of the lights will be adjusted and fine-tuned to give Radyr and Clos Parc Radyr residents enough of a green-light period to move out onto Llantrisant Road. We will monitor this in due course. However, when the traffic lights are installed at the end of Heol Isaf, they won't be switched on until Cardiff Council agrees it is the right time to do so. They may, for instance, want the Clos Parc Radur traffic lights in place as well, before both sets of lights are turned on (to better control traffic flow). As we wait for them to be switched on, we may see a temporary roundabout installed at the Heol Isaf junction. And the timing of all this? It's difficult to predict, apparently - given the number of services to be installed at several locations - and the number of companies involved. We can, however, except to have to wait until mid 2020 before the majority of the Heol Isaf junction is completed. That's another 12 months of roadworks! Not the best news, regrettably. And with the Clos Parc Radur junction works yet to begin, we can expect to be navigating these roadworks for a long time to come. And what will this lead to? Plasdŵr will bring more traffic, that's for sure. But we are promised:
Only time will tell, however, to what extent these developments will help ease traffic in and around Radyr and Morganstown. There will be some positive developments. Including four new schools. And Plasdŵr’s propsed 'district centre' will offer employment opportunities - as well as providing us with a new retail centre, with a range of large and smaller stores to serve both Plasdŵr and its neighbouring communities. So we won't have to travel as far to visit a large supermarket, to stock up on life's essentials. The district centre will be focused around a central square with community, health and leisure facilities - with the potential for new cafés, restaurants and pubs. Although work on the deisgn concept has begun (see here), work on the final design for the centre has yet to be started - with construction a number of year’s away. At the end of the day, Plasdŵr will be a 15 to 20 year development. Not all of it will be built on our doorstep - so we won't see all of the mud and tractors - but life in our corner of the capital city will change for ever. In the meantime, if you have a problem (with mud, noise, mess, stones in the road, faulty temporary traffic lights etc) or any other concerns (such as what will happen to the remaining hedgerows and trees) you can contact Katie Powis, Community Liaison Manager, for Plasdŵr on 07741 194199 or email katie.powis@plasdwr.co.uk. And, of course, you can attend the drop-in sessions that Plasdŵr arranges in Radyr, from time to time. In the meantime, if you have any comments about this article - or about Plasdŵr, you can post them below. You may recall that we posted here about Cardiff Council's proposals to make a Public Spaces Protection Order under s.59 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 in respect of the dog control. This would allow Enforcement Officers to serve Fixed Penalty Notices for specified antisocial behaviour relating to dogs. Well, there has been a revision to include Schools playing fields. The revised proposed order is shown, below: Dear Sir/Madam
Re: THE COUNTY COUNCIL OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF CARDIFF PROPOSED DRAFT PUBLIC SPACES PROTECTION ORDER (DOG CONTROL) ORDER 2019 The Council propose to make a Public Spaces Protection Order under s.59 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 in respect of the above. This would allow Enforcement Officers to serve Fixed Penalty Notices for specified antisocial behaviour relating to dog control. Please find enclosed the Draft Order and Plan. You can see a copy of the draft Order on the Council’s website at: https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Leisure-parks-and-culture/Public-Spaces-Protection-Orders/Pages/default.aspx Written representations or objections on the draft text to the proposed Order can be made by post to Jonathan Childs, Commercial Services , County Council of the City and County of Cardiff, County Hall, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff CF10 4UW or by email to jonathan.childs@cardiff.gov.uk not later than 30th June 2019. If you have any queries in respect of the above please do not hesitate to contact us. Yours faithfully Matt Wakelam Assistant Director – Street Scene Each year the Council's annual accounts are audited by the Auditor General for Wales. Prior to this, any interested person has the opportunity to inspect and make copies of the accounts and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts etc relating to them for 20 working days on reasonable notice. Please click here for more information and to see the Notice of Appointment of Date for the Exercise of Electors' Rights.
Some residents will be aware of movement in and around the old Spar site on Station Road - with a skip outside the shop and workmen inside.
The latest news we have, however, is that the workmen are simply stripping away some of the old Spar equipment - and the letting agents (Cushman and Wakefield) have not had a firm offer from anyone wanting to occupy the site. All that we do know is that an Indian restaurant came top in our survey, as something that local residents would like to see. In the meantime, the wait continues! And if we do hear anything, we'll let you know... Do you have a budding musician or singer in your family - keen to join an orchestra, choir, brass band, guitar ensemble, wind band or big band?
If so, Cardiff County and the Vale of Glamorgan are holding a series of auditions at the end of June, at various locations in Cardiff. So here's your chance to join with other musicians and singers to enjoy developing your skills, in a friendly and welcoming environment. Further details can be found here (in English) and here (in Welsh). Good luck! Frequent users of the Drovers' Way playground will see that the facility is now locked - with the sign shown above making it clear that the playground is closed for maintenance.
What we know at present is that:
In the meantime, local resident Jamie Grundy has launched a crowdfunding campaign to 'fill the final quarter' of the circle. You can read about his campaign here. Over £600 has been raised already - a great example of positive community action. We will update you after the 12 June meeting. The Community Council's Lunch Club welcomed a distinguished guest to its most recent meeting.
George Edwards was editor of the South Wales Evening Post, having enjoyed a career in journalism spanning 44 years. Mr Edwards was the club's after-luch speaker on 5 June. When he was 12, George wrote to the football writer of his local evening paper, the Derby Evening Telegraph, and told him his ambition was to have his job some day. He received an eight-page reply giving advice and on July 28, 1958, at the age of 16, George left school and joined the Telegraph as a trainee reporter. He remembered his first wage as being £3.2s.6d a week for duties which included standing outside churches taking names for funeral reports. In 1963 George decided to become a freelance in the Peak District and in August that year he won his scoop interview and a handshake with John F Kennedy who had called in to see his sister’s grave at Chatsworth Park after a presidential visit to Manchester. The world’s press was not told of the visit, but George and his freelance colleague found out about it and were the only journalists present when JFK’s helicopter landed at Chatsworth. The story went round the world, three months before the president’s assassination. George also spoke about his friendship with Brian Clough; how his first editor refused his first ever expenses claim (for three-pence) on the basis that he was young enough to run to cover stories, rather than take a bus - and how one reader tried to claim £4m from the South Wales Evening Post for the use of a picture of his daughter. George was just one of many speakers we have welcomed to the lunch club. If you want to join us for lunch, you will find a warm welcome, good company - and some excellent, nutritious food. You can read more about the lunch club here. Local resident Jamie Grundy has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help refurbish the Drovers' Way playground in Clos Parc Radur. Below, he talks about the value of this important site - and his aim to help fill it with new equipment: "There are many residents of Clos Parc Radyr and further afield who have used the popular children’s playground at Drovers Way. You can find me there most days with my daughter and my dog, trying to tire them out! Having witnessed the playground's slow and sad decline over the years I’m doing something about it. I’ve set up a crowd-funding campaign to raise some money to help regenerate it. The playground has been half-empty of equipment for years - and I want to get it filled with new and exciting equipment. We also need to stop mud and water flooding onto the site. Radyr & Morganstown Community Council and Radyr Park Management Committee have both pledged £5,000 towards the project - with the remaining costs being met by Cardiff Council and the Welsh Government. Redrow Homes are leading on the investigation of the flooding and have promised to fix this problem. So my crowd-funding campaign is to cover part of the cost only. I’m trying to raise £2500 to buy equipment to 'fill the final quarter' of the playground. To find out more, or to donate - please go to any of the following websites: Please pledge what you can, even if it’s only a couple of pounds, because every donation will help a new generation of Radyr children to play in a fun and safe environment for years to come. The campaign will be running until Sunday 14 July." We think Jamie's crowdfunding campaign is an excellent idea - so please get behind him and donate whatever you can, to help restore this valuable playground. |
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