Crucial talks on future of major railway development will take place next week
Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter
Discussions that could decide the future of a multi-million pound Cardiff railway development will take place next week.
The two-day call-in hearing about the Cardiff Parkway railway station development, which is proposed for land to the south of St Mellons Business Park, has been set for Tuesday and Wednesday, July 11 and 12.
Plans for the wider £120 million business park scheme, of which the railway station is proposed to be part of, were approved by Cardiff Council in April 2022.
However, the plans were put on hold when the Welsh Government called in the application in October.
Planning applications are normally called in for determination by the Welsh Government if they are deemed to be of more than local importance.
Future Wales
During the hearing, which is set to take place at County Hall, Atlantic Wharf, Planning and Environment Decisions Wales inspectors will be looking at whether the development complies with Cardiff’s local development plan and the national development plan, Future Wales.
The planning inspector will also be looking at whether the proposed compensation measures would mitigate the impact of the development on the Rumney and Peterstone Site of Special Scientific Interest.
When the application was called in last year, the director of Cardiff Parkway Developments, Andrew Roberts, said he was disappointed with the Welsh Government’s decision.
The opening date for the business park and Cardiff Parkway railway station was originally earmarked for 2024.
If it gets the green light, the station is expected to cater for about 800,000 passengers a year, with journeys to Cardiff Central or Newport in just seven minutes and eight trains an hour between Cardiff and Newport.
Four intercity-length platforms could serve local routes and mainline journeys to London, north Wales, Manchester, Bristol and the West Country.
The plans also include a business park with up to 90,000 square metres of office space, with space for thousands of jobs.
The hearing will open at 10am on Tuesday and resume at 9.30am the following day.
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Multi-million pound development in Cymru and up to eight trains per hour. What’s not to like? Oh, sorry its in the Bubble, so the rest of us can go back to sleep since we don’t even get eight trains a day and are never liley to.
Where’s the “Bubble”?
Does anyone know if and how people can submit views on this?
I live in the area and a train station would make a huge positive difference, but the business park is an unnecessary distraction as there’s already one there that seems pretty empty.
How do you think they will pay for it? If it’s only for local residents presumably the residents are happy to fund it?