Residents in a part of Cardiff have spoken of their anger and frustration after a developer was given permission to build a controversial block of flats up to six storeys high.
They say it will block the sunlight to their houses and cause parking problems in the area.
Rightacres has now got permission to build 74 apartments at the former Track 2000 site on Penarth Road, despite opposition from neighbours over the height and scale of the building.
The developer will pay just £30,000 towards a new Nextbike station and a traffic regulation order relating to the development, despite the council originally asking for £1.36million, most of which would have gone towards affordable housing.
Cardiff council's planning committee approved the development on June 19 by four votes to two , despite protests from more than 140 people raising concerns that the building will be overbearing, would deprive neighbouring properties of light and privacy and overwhelm the area with traffic.
Speaking after the decision, at her home in nearby street Pentre Gardens, Jan Birch, 61, said she was “appalled”.
"I think it afflicts Cardiff, not just our house," she said.
"We have been badly affected in this house because of the scale and size of the flats. I think it is incredibly short-sighted of the council to accept this.
"There will be nothing for social housing. Rightacres offered £30,000 to the council instead of the £1.3 million asked. It’s pathetic. We could have raised that crowd-funding.
"I think people will just buy up those places just so they can let them out for short-term lets for people who are commuting to Cardiff for work or for matchdays. I think this is a death knell to Taff’s Mead Embankment.”
Another resident Jonathan Lewis, 50, was present in the meeting which gave the go-ahead and described it as a "bizarre shambles".
He said: "I was amazed. MPs were against it, AMs were against it... it was bizarre how very little interest they had in other people’s opinion. I would love to know how these people get onto the planning committee."
He said there was "no consideration for parking and the extra traffic that will be here", adding: "Where are they proposing to leave all the bins?"
Another resident, Nazli Khan, 35, said: "I don’t like it because it blocks the sunlight. My neighbours don’t like."
Pentre Gardens resident Simon Newman, who objected to the plans, told the committee: "Residents feel the scale, height and massing on the scheme is oppressive, overbearing and out of character."
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, a "gutted" Mr Newman said many Pentre Gardens residents will consider moving away before the development is built.
He said: "There's a community around that park and around that street. This is going to have a negative impact on that. I think people will sell up."
Councillors Ashley Lister and Lynda Thorne objected to the development.
Cllr Lister said: "It would cause harm to neighbouring properties by overlooking and overshadowing them. The design is not in keeping with neighbouring properties."
