Cardiff fib dems/plaid lies vandalise bute park

CARDIFF LIB DEMS/PLAID

START WORK ON BUTE PARK BRIDGE FOR ARTICULATED LORRIES

SEEMS they are determined to build a MONUMENT TO STUPIDITY AND
GROSS ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION of listed city centre BUTE PARK!

Should be engraved with
the Environmental Vandals names

Cllr Howells
Cllr Berman
Clllr McEvoy

who put
articulated lorries before nature
and people.

legal challenge overr libdems/plaid plan for Bute Park Road

1. tell your cllrs to pull off the contractors
2. respect the condition against works in the nesting season
3. who is ready to demonstrate at short notice

Urgent Request for Bird Watchers
- volunteers sought to record birds on or near the construction site email annegre@aol.com
07817513610 Join us on the FACEBOOK Group

Disgraceful behaviour and lies of Cllr Howells and lib dem/plaid cardiff council exposed!

Environment lawyer calls for Bute Park assessment

South Wales Echo, Jun 12 2009 by Martin Shipton,

OPPONENTS of council plans to drive a lorry access bridge and enlarged, raised roadways through Bute Park have obtained legal backing for a challenge to the local authority.

Environmental lawyer, Cambridge-based Richard Buxton, has called on Cardiff council to fulfil its obligations under European law by carrying out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

The EIA would properly assess the full impact the council’s proposed developments will have on the Grade I-listed historic landscape and arboretum with rare trees, as well as the adjacent wildlife habitat and mature woodland.

In a letter Mr Buxton also reminds the council of the strength of public opposition to its plans, and its duty to fully inform and consult the public when taking environmentally sensitive decisions.

Professor Kevin Morgan, chairman of campaigning group Bute Parks Alliance, said: “It is quite clear that the council has failed hopelessly in its duty to properly inform the public of its plans.”.

“Nowhere in its disingenuous ‘information’ material does it clarify that the proposed access bridge is more than 28 feet wide, and will be raised on pillars, and that sections of the current eight-foot path would be more than doubled in width and turned into a lorry roadway raised on an embankment.

“Nor does it say it would be still wider on curves to accommodate the largest lorries and that still more of the meadow would be converted to a lorry waiting bay.”

A host of celebrities, among them actors Matthew Rhys and Ioan Gruffudd, and entertainer Griff Rhys Jones, oppose the plans.

A Cardiff council spokesman said: “Cardiff council has responded to the letter from Mr Richard Buxton.

“It is not aware of any legal challenge to its processes in regard to the new bridge access at Bute Park.

“Once again the council would reiterate that full consultation has been carried out regarding the proposed access bridge and there are no plans to use the park as a money making facility by allowing an increase in major events.

“The new bridge will make it safer for users by relocating traffic away from principal routes used by pedestrians and the Taff floral border where people enjoy sitting out.

“The council is working to enhance and improve Bute Park and has embarked on a £5.6m conservation project in partnership with HLF, restoring historic features and opening the North Gate to reconnect Cardiff Castle to the park.”

The spokesman added that, in the council’s view, there is no need for a formal EIA.

gareth450 wrote:

The council declares that a full consultation was done with regards to the bridge. This is a lie. Many people on their list of people and groups that apparently gave letters of support to the council for this have no knowledge of the councils bridge plans. Some of these groups include Cardiff Horticultural Society, The Victorian Society, Environmental Agency, Welsh Institute for Sport, Cardiff Union and University ....... For more details and the collected evidence go to http://sites.google.com/site/butepark/bridge-road-development/consultation.

The consultation with the public caused over 1000 people to complain (according to the councils own planning report).

LibDems 1/10 for running Cardiff

Council leader Rodney Berman is under fire

Apr 24 2009 By David James

PUBLIC anger at Cardiff’s schools reorganisation and council proposals to build on green spaces across the city erupted in the face of councillors yesterday.

Councillors faced angry residents shouting and booing as they walked into City Hall for a meeting of the full council.

Posters dubbing Liberal Democrat council leader Rodney Berman and his Plaid deputy leader Neil McEvoy “Wanted” men were handed to passing members.

And green placards awarding the pair 0 out of 10 for their running of the city were thrust in their way.

Councillor McEvoy said he was pushed and shoved as he walked into the building by protesters campaigning against plans to build a new school on Rumney Recreation ground.

He said: “I had one man pushing me and one woman struck me from behind. I told her to keep her hands to herself. As I was driving up someone kicked my car.

“I took a lot of abuse, a lot of people saw that and some of the protesters from Mary Immaculate said they were disgusted by it.”

Coun McEvoy said he would be making a formal complaint as, when he left the council chamber, his car had been scratched and dented.

Inside City Hall, the leaders of the city’s coalition executive faced further airing of public concerns through five questions from members of the public.

All of the questions focused on the schools reorganisation, plans to build a lorry bridge into Bute Park and demolish sports facilities at Sophia Gardens to make way for a car park for Sky TV, and on the city council’s general policy towards green space.

The city’s Conservative group tried to bring the issues together with a motion calling on the council to protect all green spaces across the city and immediately cease leasing or selling off either schools’ land or parklands.

The motion was backed by the Labour group, but the ruling Liberal Democrat and Plaid executive voted together on a Lib Dem amendment which “ripped the heart out of the motion”, Conservative councillor Craig Williams said.

The amendment promised to “ensure any proposals to sell off, lease or build on parks and other public open spaces continue to involve consultation with local councillors, stakeholders, residents and statutory bodies”.

Pentyrch councillor Williams, who proposed the motion, said the amendment was a “whitewash”. He was supported by colleague Craig Piper who called on councillors to listen to their constituents.

Coun Piper said: “Politicians are nothing without the people we represent. We need to respect public opinion on this issue and people across Cardiff want their green space protected.”

The Liberal Democrats and Plaid rejected the Tory calls, arguing that the motion would hinder the council in assessing proposals for open space while not providing proper protection.

Culture executive Nigel Howells said: “Isn’t it fair to consider proposals on their merits rather than by a blanket policy that could be subject to legal challenge?”

Plaid’s Gwenllian Lansdowne described it as a “simplistically-worded motion that doesn’t achieve what it sets out do to in the first place.”

Outside City Hall, Llanrumney, residents who had travelled to the meeting by bus said they just wanted their green space protected.

Joan Smith, 70, a resident of High Croft Walk, a group of eight single-bed flats for disabled and elderly residents overlooking Rumney Rec, said the schools plans were horrendous.

She said: “It will cut off our light and our privacy. It could lead to problems with vandalism and litter – we already have problems without a school there. It will be horrendous.”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/cardiff-news/2009/04/24/council-leader-rodney-berman-is-under-fire-91466-23462815/

Look what has happened to our beautiful park

WalesOnline - ‎Apr 23, 2009‎

CAMPAIGNERS against further development within Bute Park have accused Cardiff Council of planning to erect a horticultural building that will look like a ...

Libs Dems break rules to build road into Bute Park

Update to Bute Parks Alliance: Work at the College of Music entrance/extension 

No documents to meet the pre-conditions have been submitted - and many of these pre-conditionssay "no development" until each individually has been met.   

Substantial amounts of soil (including tarry contaminants) have been brought onto the site, to build up levels 
for the work with excavators pulling up stumps etc.  Yet one pre-condition says no 
"No excavations/groundworks shall take place until a written scheme of archaeological investigation has 
been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority." 
Other pre-conditions cover Japanese Knotweed (detailed scheme to be submitted and approved in writing) and 
"No part of the development hereby permitted shall be commenced until a scheme detailing the measures necessary for the purposes of identifying chemical and other contaminants on the site and to ensure that the land is suitable for the proposed development has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority."

It's pretty obvious this latter condition should have been fulfilled first.   They've used some chemical on the 
Knotweed without approval.  But after the enforcement officer was called in, he just wrote (9 April) 
 I do not believe there was any deliberate intention to circumvent the conditions and I am happy with the progress made to date. 

It appears they stopped further work on 9th April because another pre-condition says 
Prior to the commencement of development, the eastern bank of the dock feeder shall be enclosed to mitigate against my potential for the pollution of that watercourse in accordance with a scheme of detail which shall first have been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority.

That waits on the case officer Richard Cole's return after Easter to approve the fence plans. 

The overall issue is whether the "Development" has started - unlawfully, as the pre-conditions have not been met. 
The Council's officers responsible for chasing breaches of planning permits are known as "enforcement officer". 
They replied on 9th April "we remain of the opinion that development to implement the planning permission has not commenced ." 

However, their legal officer gave the criterion as commencing "operations" and used Lord Denning’s judgement that 
        “operations” cover “activities which result in some physical alteration to the land, which has some degree of permanence”. 

Only to planning officers does cutting down mature trees not satisfy this definition.  All the soil brought in has completely changed the 
surface ecosystem as well as land levels, for those who would argue that mature trees are not part of the land (or landscape). 

Note that if the College did not go ahead with the "development" there is no condition in the Early Access Licence requiring them to remove the polluted 'soil' and replant the area.  They would have been allowed to despoil this part of the Park for nothing. 

So watch this space!  Will the enforcement officers continue to deny what's obvious to Denning's common man, 
that there has been "some physical alteration to the land, which has some degree of permanence"? 
And if they admit it's breaching planning controls, what action will they take? 

Cllr Howells - Articulated lorries best for park

Park – Echo 10^th Jan 2009

“Over my dead body will anything bad happen to that park ”- plans in best interest of city” says leisure chief!

Coun Howells “What we are doing is in the best interests of Bute Park and will preserve what is one of the best examples of Victorian Parkland in the UK”.

Despite a letter from an assembly civil servant from writing on behalf of heritage minister heritage Alun Ffred Jones and calling for more consultation Coun Howells said that the council had no plans for further consultation nad the heritage lottery fund was not taking any interest in the work to the road or the lorry bridge.

We challenge Cllr Howells to attend a public meeting. Give us a chance to discuss it with you, he couldn't find the time to attend the last public meeting.

Bute Park group – join for discussion and documents

Tell him what you think! NHowells@cardiff.gov.uk,
journalist who wrote the article david.james@mediawales.co.uk,
write to echo ecletters@mediawales.co.uk
write to the Heritage lottery fund jennifers@hlf.org.uk,

It will be over our dead bodies that Cllr Howells scars and destroys Bute Park and its landscape by building this ugly raised 4 metre wide roads with dangerous 2 metre long 1 in 5 slopes on either sidethrough Bute Park. It is extremely arrogant of Cllr Howells to state that he knows best. He has been corrupt in

1. Failing to ensure that the Bute Park new development was properly assessed for sustainability prior to implementation as in the Park & Green Space Strategy

2. Failing to consider a decision to limit the size of lorries in the Park as requested from Cllr Simon Wakefield).
3. Speaking at the planning meeting purely advocating the project without claiming to representing his electors’ views, and did not declare a prejudicial ‘interest’.

Cllr Nigel Howells, Exec member has the scheme in his portfolio
4. Reports from council officers were 'sexed down' to minimise the impact.
The Highways “Options Appraisal” was altered (between the January and August versions) to support the Parks’ claim of the present situation being ‘unsafe’ and the Project being ‘essential

There must be a comprehensive programme of public consultation on the proposed plans to restore the Park and I challenge Cllr Howells to give us a time he can attend a public meeting to give people the chance to answer these question and others.