Plans for a new £120m South Wales mainline train station at St Mellons on the outskirts of Cardiff, integrated into a major business park, have been called in by the Welsh Government. This is despite the Cardiff Bay administration having an ownership stake in the project.
The Cardiff Parkway station development and associated Hendre Lakes business park secured planning consent from Cardiff Council back in April with the hope that work could start almost immediately. Leader of Cardiff Council, Huw Thomas, recently said his authority would work tirelessly to ensure the project is delivered as a key new public transport hub - with the aim of serving 800,000 rail passengers a year - and employment location for the wider Cardiff Capital City Region.
Now the project, in which the Welsh Government itself has invested £10m in return for a minority equity stake in the company behind it, Cardiff Parkway Developments Ltd, has been put on hold pending the outcome of the review. The Welsh Government will appoint an inspector to assess the project, who will then make a recommendation as to whether it should proceed or not to Welsh Government ministers - who will have the final decision.
