Plans for New Homes on Cardiff Woodland Refused by Council

Plans for new homes on a much loved patch of Cardiff woodland will no longer go ahead.
Cardiff Council’s planning committee today refused plans for 36 homes on Danescourt Woodland which campaigners have been fighting against for years.
All committee members present at the meeting voted against the plans to prevent the loss of green space and woodland and because of the scheme’s lack of “safe, legible and… well designed connectivity” to services and amenities.
Speaking at a council planning meeting in December 2023, ward member for Llandaff, Cllr Peter Jenkins called the site, which forms part of the Penrhys Pilgrimage Way, “fundamentally unsuitable for housing of any type”.
At the meeting on Thursday January 11, Cllr Jenkins said: “I would like to agree with all of the points of the alternative recommendations and would urge members to support all of the reasons for rejection.
He also thanked residents for “leading a true grass routes campaign in the Save Our Woods campaign” and his ward colleague, Cllr Sean Driscoll, for the “many years of work he has put in” to fight the plans.
The Save Our Woods campaign set up a petition in opposition to the plans which gained more than 2,300 signatures.
Last year, members of the planning committee were recommended to approve the plans for affordable housing just off De Braose Close.
However, following a site visit members decided to go against this, with planning committee chair, Cllr Ed Stubbs, saying the proposed mitigation offered by the developers would not address the environmental impact sufficiently.
The plans were then deferred so that detailed reasons for refusal could be voted on at a future meeting.
The applicants, Taff Housing Association, argued at the time that the development would offer vital affordable housing for the area and that Llandaff was among the areas of highest need in Cardiff.
Cllr Stubbs said social housing is “life changing”, but added that it cannot be granted “without exception”.
Cllr Sean Driscoll questioned why the council was considering allowing housing to be built “on a former tip against a railway embankment” and said it would “destroy a precious wildlife habitat that offers enormous health and wellbeing benefits to the community”.
The application, for 45 homes initially, was submitted to Cardiff Council in 2020.
Two previous applications for housing on the same site, one for five homes in 2004 and one for 48 homes in 2012, were both rejected. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​