Major housing development amended to meet fire regulations

Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter

A major housing development scheme has been amended to meet fire regulations.

Cardiff Council’s planning committee granted full planning approval for the development of two tower blocks for land at Channel View Road in Grangetown in 2022.

The permission is for the first phase of a wider plan to redevelop the Channel View estate with up to 319 residential apartments and houses.

Following the approval of the amendments, one of the blocks will be six stories high instead of eight and its make up will change slightly so that it will no longer include what is called green walls.

These consist of plants and they aim to improve energy efficiency, promote biodiversity and improve air quality among other things.

Grenfell Tower disaster

A council planning report on the application states: “The application is seeking to make these amendments due to new emerging guidance on Building Regulations… being released, specifically referring to tall buildings post the Grenfell Tower disaster.

“The approved designs will not meet these new regulations, so a redesign exercise has been carried out.

“The green walls have been omitted as they cannot achieve fire regulation compliance.”

Although the changes mean the building, called block B in the application, will be shorter and reorientated, the number of units being provided will remain at 24 which was the original plan.

The mix of rooms will also change from 21 one-bed and three two-bed apartments to 15 one-bed apartments and nine two-bed apartments. There will also be four additional parking spaces for the block.

Cardiff Council’s wider plans to redevelop Channel View will eventually see 180 existing properties on the estate replaced.

Over 50s

The apartments being built as part of phase one will be aimed at providing independent living opportunities for over 50s.

The council has appointed Wates as the contractor to deliver the project.

It is also hoped that the overall project will go some way towards helping Cardiff to tackle its housing crisis.

Recent figures published by the council show that in the city there are currently 1,028 single people in temporary and emergency accommodation, 122 families living in hotels and 595 families in standard temporary provision.