Cardiff Greens urge minister to reject 'huge out of town development' and ask whether Lib Dem/Plaid Council can be trusted to protect city's green spaces
At the start of the Green Party conference in Brighton Cardiff Green Party has welcomed the decision of Jane Davidson, Minister for Environment and Sustainability to ‘call in' the Lib Dem/Plaid Cymru Council's plan for a huge business park on Cardiff's green belt. The development would destroy 100 acres of greenfield and woodland to make way for offices, shops, restaurants and bars and contradict national policy favouring reuse of brown field land and siting new developments in city centres near public transport hubs.
Jake Griffiths, Wales Green Party Leader and Green Party candidate for Cardiff West said:
"This huge out of town development is the exact opposite of what is required if we are serious about tackling climate change and car dependency and calls into question the Lib Dem/Plaid Council commitment to sustainable development. The proposal would cut deep into Cardiff's green belt into an area that has always been protected from development and follows the recent misjudged project to drive a road through the heart of Bute Park - one of Cardiff's most popular parks - leaving one to conclude that the Lib Dem/Plaid Council cannot be trusted to protect Cardiff's green spaces and parks."
"Because of the sites' distance from existing development access by foot, cycle or rail would not be impractical, inevitably forcing people to commute by car to the site. I am far from convinced that the promised transport hub would be any more than a diverted bus route, judging from Cardiff Council's history of haphazard transport planning, most notably the plans for buses in the city centre.
"The Council should focus on improving the economic vitality of local communities and supporting the creation of local jobs instead of being dazzled by big projects trying to woo large companies who would likely simply relocate existing staff. If Cardiff is serious about creating high quality jobs it needs to be done from within our own communities and not make us even more reliant on the discredited global economic system. This is an irresponsible and short-sighted idea that reveals the Lib Dem/Plaid led council's skin-deep commitment to sustainability."
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For further information contact Jake Griffiths Wales Green Party Leader on 07752754537 on cantongreens@hotmail.co.uk.
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