Residents are worried about transport 'chaos' ahead of the 18-month closure of a junction in Canton to make way for a housebuilding project. Cardiff council has announced the closure of the top of Pembroke Road, near the junction with Clive Road, after planning permission was granted for affordable housing to be built on the former site of the Duke of Clarence pub.
A spokesperson confirmed that the section of road will be closed from February 6, and that Clive Road will be kept open. Pembroke Road and one of its pavements will be closed between Clive Road and Egerton Street, with limited access for parking at 152 and 154 Pembroke Road (opposite the building work). The pavement will be shut on one side of the section of road where the houses are being built, and will be open on the rest of the road.
Carl Dee said: "I live opposite where the work will start, where the hell am I going to park? Parking zones in all the surrounding streets." Keith Ball added: "Why so long? This will create traffic chaos."
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Councillor Stephen Cunnah said: "I understand and share many of the concerns and dismay about this site, and now the proposed road closure. The Duke of Clarence was a much-loved Canton pub and it is a shame whenever local pubs are lost to the community. The site was purchased by Linc Cymru, a housing association, who have planning permission to build 17 flats.
"Many residents are worried about over-development, especially in an area where parking spaces are already at a premium. The site is constrained and so the developer has applied for an eighteen-month road closure in order to facilitate deliveries and to place cabins next to the site for the welfare of workers.
"It is a very long time though, and so I have spoken to council officers to insist that the closure is kept as short as possible. I have also asked that the closure plan and compound is managed to minimise disruption to nearby residents and that the council monitors this closely."
It is understood that the council would have to apply to the Welsh Government for an extension of the 18-month closure, and it's not expected that this will need to happen. Cllr Cunnah has put several requests to the council, including asking them to give residents more details of the plans, restrict deliveries to 9.30am-3.30pm, prohibit construction staff from parking on nearby roads and limit HGV access and the number of signs placed on pavements.
Local MP Kevin Brennan also wrote to the council saying his constituents had received "no formal notification" of this road closure, and that councillors had only been informed once approval was already granted. He asked the council to delay the closure to allow time to consult residents.
The council's spokesperson said: "The top end of Pembroke Road will be closed to facilitate the building of these new homes, to accommodate welfare units for the construction workers, as well as allow access for construction vehicles. This is a better solution than the alternative, which would involve the closure of Clive Road.
"Local councillors have been written to, to advise them that the footway along Pembroke Road will remain open for the duration of the works and the parking spaces for those living at 152 to 154 Pembroke Road will not be affected. If residents living in these properties would prefer to park further away from the development site, the developer is able to make alternative arrangements for them to park further down the road."
The closure will allow for the building of 17 affordable flats on the former site of the Duke of Clarence, a once popular pub. Each flat will have a bedroom, kitchen and living room, a bathroom, and an airing cupboard and storage space.
The Duke of Clarence closed in 2015 and was later demolished. The site has had planning consent for the flats since 2016, and the latest planning application for the site was approved on Thursday, January 12 2023.
Several residents raised concerns about the application, with some saying 17 flats over four storeys was "too large for the site," and others saying they felt "incredulous" at the height of the building. Some also mentioned the parking situation - with no designated on-site parking.
Cllr Cunnah wrote to the council in November 2022 saying: "I look forward to land left dormant and untended for many years now being put to beneficial use. I am pleased that much-needed local housing will be provided.
"However, I am concerned about the scope and size of the proposed building. The height is uncharacteristic on this street and the building is immediately adjacent to neighbouring properties, such that it is likely to block natural light from and reduce the privacy of neighbours. I also believe the guidance is being stretched to its limit with the lack of any provision of onsite parking. This feeling is especially pronounced because the site already has planning consent that included onsite parking."
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