Formerly-rejected plans to build new apartments in Cardiff have been brought back to life. Plans to knock down 58 Pwllmelin Road in Llandaff to build 23 apartments were refused last month after having initially been approved. The application, which proposed the construction of four blocks of apartments, was originally granted in December 2021.
However it was brought back for consideration after the applicants, Windrush Ltd, revealed it was not able to provide the £413,714 of section 106 contributions towards affordable housing that had been originally agreed. After putting a new offer of £146,917 on the table, which will go towards parks, traffic regulation orders (TROs), and affordable housing, the application for the apartments has been approved again.
Of the £146,917 some £100,000 will go towards affordable housing, £5,000 will go towards TROs, and £41,917 will go towards parks. Cllr Adrian Robson said the moment offered proof that being persistent with demands on developers for section 106 could be to the council's benefit. He said: "I welcome the additional £100,000 put forward by the applicant.
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"Here is an example of where we can challenge the developer. That is something I urge officers to bear in mind." After the application was originally granted in 2021 an independent assessment from a district valuer concluded that the developers could not make this contribution towards affordable housing. However all other essential financial contributions were kept in the proposal.
At a planning committee meeting in November it was stressed by officers that the financial landscape had changed significantly since 2021 and that the cost of living crisis had had a major impact on businesses. Councillors were insistent that a contribution be made towards affordable housing.
During the planning committee meeting in November Cllr Ali Ahmed said: "Section 106 and the social housing is very important to us as well. There are 7,000 to 8,000 people looking at us to house them." According to Cardiff council there were more than 8,200 people on the housing waiting list in October.
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