Plans to transform disused community building into flats rejected

Kieran Molloy, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to turn a former community building into 10 flats have been rejected, leaving its future uncertain.

Lucky Letting Agency applied to Cardiff Council last September to convert the former Salvation Army building in Cathays into what it described as 10 “high-quality” flats.

According to planning documents the design aimed to “create a sustainable and attractive residential development that respects its urban context”.

It continues: “[The proposal] will bring a disused building back into productive use, contribute to the local housing supply, and enhance the visual appearance of the street.

“The development will transform the building into a valuable asset for the local community.”

The proposal also involved extensions to the building and alterations to external openings.

Local ward councillors Sarah Merry, Norma Mackie, and Chris Weaver, the latter of whom now leads the council, objected to the planning officer on the grounds that the proposal would have led to an “overdevelopment” in May Street and will “impact on the amenity of neighbours”.

The councillors also had concerns about lighting and privacy. Their letter to the planning officer stated: “The outlook of four of the flats will be poor with the design only allowing one window to light the whole of the studio as there can be no windows facing onto the houses of May Street.

“For the same reason we believe that any glass in the dormer windows must be obscured to avoid overlooking the properties in May Street.

“This would be acceptable in a bathroom but not a bedroom which will make the room feel claustrophobic.”

The planning officer for the application agreed with the privacy concerns, saying “significant concerns arise in respect of overlooking and loss of privacy”.

This is due to the windows for some rooms looking directly into the neighbour’s property.

The report reads: “The resulting loss of privacy would be detrimental to the living conditions enjoyed by neighbouring occupiers and would fail to respect the established residential character of the surrounding area.”

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