Planning permission has been withdrawn for controversial luxury apartments in Cardiff. Residents and politicians have voiced opposition to the plans in Cathays warning they would 'destroy privacy'.
The initial application was submitted to Cardiff council in December 2021 but on March 31 the online listing was updated and said the application had been withdrawn by the applicant. The development would have seen seven apartments built to the land rear of 14 Queen Anne Square, with an entrance on North Road.
Concerns over traffic, privacy and the impact on surrounding buildings were all raised by concerned residents and politicians, including Jo Stevens MP. Several formal objections were submitted to Cardiff council.
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Among the objections was the Queen Anne Square Management Company, which represents the residents of the 31 properties already on the square. In an objection submitted to the council, the company said: “We are strongly opposed to overdevelopment of this small site, which must be treated particularly sensitively as it sits neatly between two Grade II listed buildings, is prominent on perhaps the busiest access route in and out of the city, and if built to an excessive height will likely be visible from every one of the houses in Queen Anne Square.”
They argued that the actual building would cover 80% of the land area and would not respond to the “local character and context” of Cathays Park.
The proposed development would have been four stories high, with the top three floors overlooking the rear of 15 houses in Queen Anne and Square. "It will destroy our privacy,” the company added.
Jo Stevens MP, who represents Cathays residents, also objected to the plans. She said: “I agree with the local ward councillors that this application should be rejected.
“If it is recommended for acceptance, I share their view that it should go to Planning Committee, both due to the extreme sensitivity of the site on a main arterial road and because of the conservation area right on the edge of the civic centre, which is one of the most important sites in Cardiff.”
Sarah Merry, a councillor for Cathays, also objected to the plans and echoed the management company’s sentiments. The site would have been situated between a funeral home and the nursing home Nazareth house, both of which are listed buildings, and Ms Stevens urged “extreme care” in approving any plans for that space.
One couple who live on Queen Anne Square said in objection: “It would not only have a major adverse impact on our privacy, but it would also severely reduce the amount of natural light and sunlight reaching the rear of our property in the afternoons and evenings.” They said they would not object to a single dwelling on the site but opposed the size and scale of this proposed development.
Concerns were also raised about vehicle access from North Road, where the entrance to the development would have been. Jeremy and Cheryl Richards said: “This is a busy road and it would make access difficult and hazardous. There is no parking on site which is likely to lead to parking in the rear lane and will cause obstructions for other residents nearby.”
In a planning document dated November 2021, the developers said: "[It] has been designed considering the proportions of the site, its users and its neighbours and will have no adverse affects on the amenities of the area. The layout, scale and mass are in keeping with the neighbouring properties and is therefore considered to be appropriate."
