Cardiff Council has confirmed that it still has not submitted an application to go ahead with a land swap which could pave the way for a new school. The council's cabinet approved the recommendations of an independent advisory committee to go ahead with a land swap, which would see land at Maindy Park exchanged for land at Caedelyn Park in Rhiwbina, on March 2.
However, the decision is subject to approval by the Charity Commission, which the council needs to submit an application to. In explaining why it had taken over three months to submit an application, a council spokesperson said: "The independent lawyers who have been advising the Maindy Park Trust are in the process of finalising the application for Charity Commission consent, which will be submitted imminently.
“The application is being progressed as quickly as practical, given the need for detailed information to be diligently gathered and prepared. This is a legal process, and as such, can take time."
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If approved by the Charity Commission, the land swap will allow the expansion of Cathays High to go ahead. However, the development would also mean the loss of the historic Maindy Velodrome.
The independent advisory committee which recommended the land swap, The Maindy Park Advisory Committee, was set up to manage the council's conflict of interest in the process, with it being the sole trustee of Maindy Park Trust and the local education authority. Once the Charity Commission receives the application it will assess whether the trustee’s decision is in the best interest of the charity and if it has sufficiently considered conflicts of interest and the views of beneficiaries.
After the advisory committee made its decision on the recommendation to be made to cabinet in January, the Charity Commission said: "We understand this issue is important to local people and will take care to listen to a variety of perspectives. We will seek representations from members of the public when making the decision and will publicise our reasoning once it has been made."
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