During our recent meeting with Cardiff Council, we were invited to develop (for consideration by Cardiff), proposals for improving Station Road and the surrounding area, to improve its role as a place for the community to meet, shop and socialise.

This could include introducing a one-way system, changes to parking, closure to traffic at specific times and more. 

This is all very exciting - and we will be consulting with residents about this in the near future.

​So please keep an eye out for more news about this!

During our recent meeting with Cardiff Council we were informed that the nextbikes station will be located outside McColl's on Station Road.

The station will be installed in the very near future.

The bike station will measure 7m by 2m (7m by 1 m without the bikes).

If this location proves to be unsuitable, the station can be moved quite easily.

Cardiff is also considering installing electric bikes at Radyr Station. Other locations may also be considered.

What is a nextbike? This is a system which rents bicycles for anyone who has downloaded the nextbikes app onto hir, or her, mobile. You can rent a bike from any nextbike station - and leave it at any other station. You can read more about nextbikes here.

This could be another useful resource for Radyr and Morganstown residents. For instance, you could go to town on the train - but fancy cycling home. Now you will be able to grab a nextbike and enjoy riding along the Taff Trail.

​We will have to see how the nextbikes look outside McColl's. Will they limit the room available for pedestrians? Let us know what you think after they are installed.

We held another meeting with Cardiff Council's Head of Transportation on 10 September. It turned out to be a very positive meeting - and it was great to hear Cardiff officials saying how much they valued the close relationship they had developed with our community, through the work of Radyr and Morgantown Community Council - and its Road Safety Working group. Our thanks go, again, to Cllr Rod McKerlich (our County Councillor) for facilitating the meeting.

This is what we discussed:

• a positive response had been received to Cardiff's consultation on installing three new zebra crossings in R&M. These were now at detailed design stage. The work would go out to tender in October, with start of works planned for January / February 2020. These would be funded with £300k of Section 106 money, released early by Redrow Homes. They would be simple zebra crossings (not pelican crossings) since these would enable pedestrians to cross more quickly, compared to waiting for pelican lights to change.
• a survey had been undertaken on Windsor Road, at the bend where there is no pavement. Pavement design and layout was now at the design stage - to be followed by a consultation. Start of works could be around March 2020. The scheme could include parking restrictions on the bend.
• the 20mph zone (which would include all of R&M apart from Parc Radur) would require a traffic regulatory order. This was in the hands of Cardiff's lawyers - but the work would take some time, with consultation on the orders likely to take place in early 2020, with a 3 week response time. Objections were likely (most other 20mpg schemes had led to objections), so start of works on this (if it was to proceed, following the consultation) was likely to be spring / summer 2020. In the meantime , R&MCC could help prepare the local community for introduction of the zone.
• Cardiff agreed to include Heol Isaf and Ty Nant Road in its air quality monitoring programme, to evaluate the impact of road improvement works, including the 20mph zone.
• consultation with regard to the closure of Golf Club Lane had been completed - and the decision taken to take the process forward. As such, the traffic regulatory order was being prepared. Start of works was expected in summer 2020. Bollards would be placed at either end of the lane (which was not deemed suitable for emergency vehicles, even when the main road was blocked)
• it was agreed that Cardiff Council would carrying out an assessment of the junction of De Clare Drive and King's Road (at the roundabout by Radyr Station), to assess whether there is justification for highway improvement works. Any resultant scheme would be added to Cardiff's future programme to be ranked against all similar road safety schemes.  Any public consultation would be undertaken only when a suitable scheme had funding secured.
• it was agreed that Cardiff would consider measures that could be implemented to calm traffic along Bryn Derwen. In the meantime, the closure of Golf Club Lane could help, by removing traffic travelling along Bryn Derwen to use the lane as a rat run. It was noted that Bryn Derwen had been approved as a location for speed monitoring by local volunteers
• the Nextbikes station was to be located, in the near future, outside McColl's on Station Road. The bike station would measure 7m by 2m (7m by 1 m without the bikes). If this location proves to be unsuitable, the station could be moved quite easily. Cardiff was also considering installing electric bikes at Radyr Station. Reference was made to the Lime Bikes scheme in Vienna, where members of the public are paid for charging bikes in their homes, before replacing them on the street, for hire by registered users (https://www.li.me/about-us)
• it was agreed that R&MCC should develop, for consideration by Cardiff, proposals for improving Station Road and the surrounding area, to improve its role as a place for the community to meet, shop and socialise. This could include introducing a one-way system, changes to parking, closure to traffic at specific times and more. 
• reference was made to the prosed Coryton link, which would place a train station opposite Radyr Station, on the other side of the Taff. This could ease journeys east and west across the city - and encourage more people to use public transport
• Cardiff Council explained that the proposed park and ride schemes (near the M4 and on the A470) were experiencing delays - but these were still planned
• R&MCC explained that it was working with Sustrans to develop proposals with regard to safe cycling and walking. Cardiff explained that it was intending to work with Living Streets; although the focus would be the city centre, the principles involved could apply to R&M. In the meantime R&MCC could encourage residents to use public transport when travelling to the city centre
• R&MCC explained that it's Road Safety Working Group was developing place-making ideas, which would be presented to the community council in the near future
• Cardiff explained that a further £638k of Section 106 money had been earmarked for R&M, over and above the £300k released by Redrow (as described above). This would become available when house-builders' trigger points were reached. The total Section 106 money to be generated by the Plasdwr project was £25m.
• Cardiff explained that a white paper was to be submitted to Cardiff Council in the autumn, discussing key development projects across the capital, including the cross-rail scheme, park and ride facilities and active travel schemes. The estimated cost of these works was £1bn
• Cardiff agreed to arrange a meeting of all the agencies who could monitor and enforce the restrictions on HGV traffic through R&M. This would discuss strategies for ensuring better enforcement. Representatives from R&MCC would be invited to the meeting - and would provide a note, beforehand, setting out the extent of the problem and the outcome to be sought at the proposed meeting.

H O Jones
Chair
​Radyr and Morganstown Community Council

Take Part in our latest survey!

​You can find it here.

What new money?

Caro Wild, Cardiff Council's Cabinet Member with responsibility for strategic planning and transport has written to every community council in Cardiff, seeking ideas for a new initiative, to be called the Local Infrastructure Idea Lists.

Specifically, he has asked for ideas in relation to public open spaces, community facilities and local highway improvements.

Whilst looking primarily at ideas that may be funded through Section 106 developer contributions, the lists will also help to inform other work that is undertaken by Cardiff Council’s service areas, using the Council's normal funding channels.

What will this mean for us?

This is an opportunity for people across Radyr and Morganstown to submit their ideas. What would you like to see developed in your area? 

Would you like to see any improvements to our public spaces  Better, or more, playgrounds? An outdoor gym? Improved landscaping? More places to sit and enjoy being outdoors? Somewhere for our young people to meet up? Do you want to see any improvements to Station Road?

How about community facilities? Improvements to our halls? How about a new community hall on the Mound Field, with facilities for Radyr Rangers? Better sports facilities? A MUGA*?

Or how about road safety and ease of movement across our community? Safer cycling? More zebra crossings?

​The invitation is there, from Caro Wild - so we would like to respond with a set of ideas that could really make a difference to our community.

What can I do?

You can send us your ideas by completing our survey, here.

What will happen next?

We need to send our ideas to Cardiff Council as soon as we can, in September. After that time, we can still send more ideas, but it's important for us to get our ideas onto Cardiff's initial list.

An Important caveat:

It's important to understand, however, that there is no guaranteed pot of money to fund everything or anything. But if we don't present our ideas, we won't be able to complain if other areas see their projects developed.

So, Cardiff will assess all of the ideas it receives and prepare the Local Infrastructure Idea Lists. They will use this to help priorities how Section 106 money should be used (as well as helping to priorities the work they fund themselves).

What is Section 106 money?

New developments can have an impact on the local community. For example, growth in population arising from a new residential development might lead to greater pressure on local schools, community facilities, open spaces, highways or transportation. Planning obligations, known as Section 106 Contributions, can be used to require developers to provide new facilities, or contribute financially towards developments that help to mitigate the  impact of their development.

To help guide the S106 process, the Local Infrastructure Idea Lists is a new scheme which will be developed to provide Cardiff Council with a way to identify local infrastructure ideas for different wards, which can be taken into consideration when S106 contributions are being sought.

Section 106 contributions can be sought for a range of infrastructure developments, such as affordable housing, transport, highway works, schools, open spaces, community facilities, public realm improvements, waste management facilities and flood risk management. However, as mentioned above, Caro Wild has asked us for ideas linked to public open spaces, community facilities and local highway improvements only (but we are checking why he has limited his request to those areas).

The boring bit

There are three legal tests governing the use of Section 106. It can constitute a reason for granting planning permission for the development only if the obligation is:

• necessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms - there must be a planning policy justification for requesting the planning obligation
• directly related to the development - there must be a direct and obvious link between the proposed development and the obligation being sought
• fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the development.

Think big!

But don't these legal tests put you off! Send us your ideas. However wild! However ambitious! However big! However small! We want to know what you would like to have! Complete the survey and let us know what you'd like to see.

* A Multi Use Games Arena as described here.