Plans to build 260 houses in Hendredenny have been rejected by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s planning committee, held on Wednesday, April 6.
Developer Redrow submitted an outline planning application to the council in July 2015, but planning officers recommended that permission be refused due to the increase in traffic that building new properties would cause.
As part of the current Local Development Plan, which runs until 2021, proposals must have regard to the efficient and effective use of the transportation network.
A petition bearing 102 signatures was sent to the council, along with 247 letters of objection from local residents who highlighted issues such as traffic, limited local facilities, and overcrowded schools for reasons to reject planning permission.
Cheers and applause went up from the public gallery after the council’s decision was announced.
As part of the development plans, Redrow proposed to change the way in which new and existing residents in Hendredenny travelled to school and work by investing in buses and improvements to pedestrian crossings.
Plaid Cymru councillor Lindsay Whittle, who represents the Penyrheol ward and is South Wales East AM, told the committee: “Hendredenny is the heart of the commuter belt. Redrow are living in utter fantasy by suggesting that cycling to work and walking buses for children are viable alternatives to the amount of cars on the road. That simply will not happen due to the gradient of the hills.
“They are misleading people. The likelihood is that these houses will be occupied by young professionals working in Cardiff who will be commuting by car.
“People do not cycle from Caerphilly to Cardiff. Hendredenny is full, that has to be understood.”
The council found that Redrow’s alternative transport measures would not reduce traffic, and that the development would as a result aggravate the existing issues surrounding congestion.
Labour’s councillor for Penyrheol, Huw Rhodri Davies, said: “Redrow’s suggestion that they will increase the frequency of the bus service along Hendredenny Drive is ridiculous, because those services have already suffered cuts, reducing them to one an hour.
“Hendredenny simply cannot cope with any more traffic. The St Cenydd Road and roundabout situation is dire. There are regularly queues back into Abertridwr.”
Jane Carpenter, Planning Director at Redrow Homes, said: “We are disappointed with the decision, and will consider an appeal in the near future.”
The rejection of this Planning Application is a victory for us local residents who can see straight through the ridiculous proposal Redrow made to build houses in a ‘Green Wedge’ space, where the traffic is already far too heavy, which threatens the safety of our children and causes us to waste years of our lives sat in crazy traffic jams!
Traffic impact was the main reason for the refusal, however more should have been made on the negative impact this would have on our local resources, where our schools, doctors, dentists and sewers are already full!! Housing developers need to look at ‘brown-field’ sites further up the Valley if there is such a need for more local housing and look to regenerate areas which need it, rather than in an area which is already grid-locked! Employment opportunities are already limited throughout the Valley and that also needs to be considered carefully before we start building even more new houses! More proof should be provided on whether CCBC really needs all of these extra houses, before any more of our beautiful valley and its wildlife is destroyed!
Well done and thank you to everyone who supported this campaign included Councillors Lindsay Whittle and Huw Davies, who were united in their objections.
We are having the same problem here in Ynysybwl. RCT want to build 300 homes with no improvements in infrastructure, facilities, amenities etc. RCT closed one of our infants school 18 months ago and now they want to build more homes and squeeze more children into our only existing Victorian school.
So Caerphilly Council sold council owned land to Redrow so that Redrow could build houses on that land, Redrow put in planning permission and the committee vote against it. Redrow will now appeal against the decision which will be passed as it won’t be Caerphilly Council who make the decision on the appeal, and then the council will have to pay all of Redrow’s costs to take it to appeal, which will be a substantial amount of tax payers money. Why then didn’t wonderful Caerphilly Council save all the pain and huge amount of cost and simply not sell the land in the first place. The election will take place in May, Labour will be put back in Caerphilly, Redrow will get their planning permission and normal service will be resumed, do Caerphilly Council think we all came down in the last shower!
Round 1 to the public – those who live near that area no this should be a non-runner due to the increased pressure it would put on the roads which are already a nightmare during rush hours. However, I cant help wondering that given CCBC sold the land to Redrow that they will get their way in the end. Lets hope that they can remain strong on appeal.
Is`nt it ironic, that the very Council Staff which supported and proceeded with the sale of this land to the housing developer ( or did they think Redrow were diversifying into market gardening) will be the very Council Officers who will now have to produce the grounds for dismissal of the planning application, and do so with the full intention of winning. how does this work exactly?.
Lets hope the developers don’t use this as an excuse to claim lack of development ground and lets use these reasons to keep the green areas green ..
But you dont want anyone to build anywhere, according to your other comments in respect to the LDP? So, you would hand Redrow the excuse of `lack of development land locally` on a plate. Or do you have another solution to the unreasonable clammer by developers to build houses which would be `sold off plan` so quickly that they would be thrown up.
Well we all know that Labour are supporting the plan to build on the green fields of Caerphilly.
Disgraceful
I suspect more lies from the resident labour poster who is probably getting paid by Labour for all this nonsense
Be warned
No matter how many signatures are on a petition it counts as just one objection.
You are correct, councils are not very democratic unless scrutinised by elected members and the public. A recent petition of more than 3,000 signatures was considered by the officers of CCBC to be just one objection.