City council approves Bangladeshi community centre despite objections

Kieran Molloy Local Democracy Reporter

A new Bangladeshi community and teaching centre has been approved in Cardiff but not everyone is happy.

The community centre and teaching space has been approved for 32 Splott Road in Cardiff.

The proposal is set to re-use a building which is currently partially occupied by the Bangladeshi Welfare Association and will remain unchanged except for the construction of a new extension.

Teaching is expected at the centre during “normal office hours” on weekdays and at weekends.

The centre will be staffed entirely by volunteers and no additional employment will be created by the proposal.

The application reads: “The aim of the project is to provide educational support, improve literacy, and offer children and young people opportunities to learn about their language, culture, and heritage while strengthening community cohesion.

“The facility will also continue to provide advice and support services for members of the local community. “

Despite satisfying council planners, the development did attract some objections in the local community.

One objection to the application said: “The proposal would result in additional vehicle movements, parking demand and pedestrian activity throughout the week, including weekends, when local residents should reasonably be able to expect lower levels of traffic and disturbance.

“Parking is already a concern in the area, and I am concerned that increasing the number of days on which the centre operates will place further pressure on the limited parking available.”

It added: “There are already concerns regarding antisocial behaviour in the surrounding area, and increasing the number of days on which the premises is occupied, as well as the number of people travelling to and from the site, could exacerbate these existing issues.

“While I appreciate that the proposal is for educational purposes, the increased footfall and activity could have a negative impact on the surrounding community.”

Another resident objected on the grounds that the proposal will increase noise in the area, “which is already really bad from Splott Road”.

They continued: “I want to be able to sit in my garden in peace which is backing onto Splott Road.”

In response to this, the planning officer for the application wrote that despite the number of comings and goings in the area, residents in an already mixed-use area cannot expect the same level of amenity to people in a wholly residential area.

South Wales Police were consulted on the antisocial behaviour concerns but did not raise any objections.