What are they doing to Bute Park?

Bute Park Clutter outside new 'education' centre gives wrong message

What are they doing in Bute Park?
This so called restoration project means this mess and clutter outside the new education centre cafe/toilets  in Bute Park  

Bute Park education centre a wash out with dodgy door

 Were cyclists consulted over the cycle rack newly built by the £920 000 "Education Centre"?  4 stands behind the bin in what was meadow next to the roadway rather than adjacent to the wall appears intended to maximise visual impact - in the Park "restoration" project which is more akin to Park "urbanisation".
Is this design of door safe? 

Plaid Mayor Delme Bowen has to drive 200 yds to listed Bute Park 

 If only they had thought of using permeable surfaces - then the 'all seasons ' cafe wouldnt be flodded. 
This cafe has the added attraction of seating just outside the toilets. 


And if you are disabled then forget trying to fight your way through to the toilets...between the tables!


Disabled people weren't consulted either.


But of course if you are Lord Mayor you need a £1.4 million bridge to be driven for the few hundred yard journey from the City Hall to the 'restoration' commercialisation project led by a project leader with a degree in geology.  


A quick dive back to the car hidden around the corner. How much did the personalised number plate cost? More than a youth club in Splott that you closed? 

Makes a run for it to avoid demonstrators 

Delme Bowen Plaid Cymru you are a disgrace to the people whos money you squander on this vehicle and driver when you could easily walk or cycle. what a white elephant that doesn't belong in any park never mind a listed one. A flooded entrance, toilets and cafe...who did design this? If only you had a proper consultation and shared the plan with public first. But then The libdems and Plaid would actually have to listen to people. 

If only they'd thought of a Permeable Surface

Cllr Bowen to drive into Bute park cos hes wearing his chains?

I asked Cardiff council what restrictions they put on vehicles entering listed Bute park where pedestrians and cyclists must have priority ...I got a reply from the restoration commercialisation project manager Julia Sas, (JSas@cardiff.gov.uk)  who  talking about the Fun Day specifically for opening of new education centre cafe & toilets said "we will have vehicles entering for the set up of the owl sanctuary and RSPB marquees, these will be managed by ourselves and stood down before the event begins. We will also have the Lord Mayor arriving and leaving by car during the event as he will be wearing is (heavy and expensive) chains of office."

However I noticed that Councillor Delme Bowen and his wife, Lady Mayoress Pam Bowen, rode a tandem bike across the Cardiff Bay barrage complete with chains of office Read More shame on you Delme - Get on your bike and leave the car at home!

The new 'all seasons' cafe seating is all outdoors and was flooded today. The seating is in a very cramped small area with one wall being the counter for food and the other the toilets - is this hygienic? Do want to sit nest to toilets while you eat? Uck! And Disabled people, especially those in a chair or  with a walker would not be able get through the clutter to the disabled toilet.

The real friends of Bute Park say the park is for the peaceful enjoyment by the people of Cardiff—people on foot do not wish to be harassed by vehicles, small children need to safely run around. 

If coming into the city by car, please park outside and join us on foot,  If you are Park staff, do likewise and respect our environment . 

Joint us in demanding that Cardiff Council apply strict controls on vehicles in our Park, provide cycles for the Park rangers and electric buggies for gardeners.

1.  Only vehicles with a legitimate operational need may enter the park
2. Vehicle movement during an event is not permitted except in exceptional circumstances.
3. Vehicles  must not damage the fabric of the park, e.g. by straying off hard     surfaces.

£920,000 Cafe for Bute Park

SAVE BUTE PARK

No support for the opening of this Overblown  EDUCATION CENTRE - Big Cafe

the star in Cardiff council’s grandiose attempt to restore commercialise the Park.

… funded from the Lottery at a massive £920 000

… uses the old plant nursery that they closed in favour of importing plants from outside nurseries, including Dutch ones, and ferried in by  juggernaut lorries.

The EDUCATION CENTRE is aimed for

· Horticulture in-house training 

· school groups

· family/tourist information and

· cafe + toilets

It was intended for community use, then evening use was ruled out.  It was originally to be an “academy for horticultural training”.  Tourist information and ice creams etc. are now to be provided at West Lodge and the Summerhouse ‘kiosk’ cafe is fully running.  Let’s predict that the new Centre will be a commercial failure, destined to be closed under a future round of cuts.

What a blow for Lib Dem Cllr Nigel Howells, following the defeat as MP for Cardiff Central!

… a loss-making centre costing £920 000, instead restoring a previous unique feature – the Swiss Bridge over the Castle Moat – at half the cost.

… looks like  misappropriating Restoration Grant funding on a grand scale.