The land currently being cleared of mountains of fly-tipped rubbish in Cardiff city centre could be home to a huge new block of flats which are on the verge of being formally approved. The land is finally being cleared after becoming a hotspot for waste being illegally dumped and there are big plans for what it could become next.
The land, East Bay Close (under the A4234 Central Link flyover just north of Bute East Dock), used to be a Volvo dealership and is now subject to a planning application that would see hundreds of flats built on the brownfield site, next to the flyover.
The planned development would include 353 flats - 175 one-bedroom and 178 two-bedroom units, as well as 530 cycle parking spaces and 49 car parking spaces. The ground floor of the 10-storey building would also feature an outdoor 'communal garden,' and playground. Keep up to date with the biggest developments on the horizon for the city by subscribing to our Cardiff newsletter here.
READ MORE: Massive effort to clear mountains of filth from wasteland in Cardiff city centre
Plans also appear to show a seating area and miniature football pitch with one goal, described as a 'kickabout area' directly under the flyover. The planning application was entered in June 2022 on behalf of developers CNM Estates for the flats.
CNM Estates' website says: "CNM have launched new plans to develop 353 high quality homes in Cardiff. Our ambition is to create a truly sustainable and affordable development on a brownfield and highly accessible site.
"The development will assist in regenerating the area of the city, giving more people access to urban living in the City of Cardiff. This scheme marks the first CNM Estates project that has adopted a OnePlanet Living framework throughout the design with the proposals emphasising landscaping and amenity space, incorporating features that consider the health and wellbeing of our residents."
The East Bay Close development was approved by the council's planning officer in January 2023, meaning it will go ahead provided the developers and council sign a Section 106 agreement. Designed to offset any potential impact to the local area by a planning application, Section 106 agreements bind developers to put money into the local economy.
The agreement in this case would be to the value of £4,500,000 and would include:
- £303,668 for community facilities
- £16,272 for economic development
- £141,318 for schools
- £139,862 for parks
- £150,000 for transportation
- £3,718,880 for affordable housing
However, these agreements have been controversial in the past. In one case in 2020, a developer building flats on Cathedral only had to pay £12,000 of the £650,000 that it initially promised - less than 2% of the agreed figure. Large amounts of this would have gone to affordable housing and open spaces. The agreements have become so divisive that councillors in Carmarthenshire have called for powers to prevent developers from reneging on their responsibilities under them.
The site at 1 East Bay Close has been a flytipping hotspot for years, with bikes, TVs, fridges, mattresses and building materials dumped on the currently-vacant land. Several tents have been pitched on the site.
The effort to clean it up has now begun, with workers spotted underneath the flyover with diggers and other vehicles removing the rubbish. You can see all the best pictures from this immense effort here.
When we reported on the issue of fly-tipping on the land in July, a council spokesperson said: "Fly-tipping is completely unnecessary; it damages the environment and costs the taxpayer a significant amount of money each year. The Council’s preferred option when dealing with small scale fly tipping is the use of Fixed Penalty Notices rather than prosecuting through the court.
"Taking these matters to court can be very expensive and often the penalty given by the court does not justify the cost incurred. Since the powers were adopted in August 2018, 363 fixed penalty notices of £400 have been issued and eleven cases prosecuted through the courts and we will continue to investigate these matters, as fly tipping is a blight on the communities that we all live in.
"If anyone witnesses fly tipping in their community, we advise that you don’t make contact with those who are carrying it out but take details of the time, location and the registration details of the vehicle and report it to the C2C on 02920 872087."
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