Park at the end of the tunnel?

As our third full year of pushing drew to a close, we appeared to be making some progress, but it's so very, very slow.  we've been working with Councillor Phil Bale, and our AM, Julie Morgan, has been workiing behind the scenes for us too, leaning on Cardiff and raising the issue of public open spaces in the National Assembly debate on the new Planning Bill. 

Phil's been on the case in recent months, calling developers in for a meeting with officers and members during April.  Persimmon have to sort out the poor drainage on their upper section (which contributes to the flooding on Barratt's lower section, itself not very well drained), so some seven metre test boreholes have been drilled to ascertain what's down there under the capping layer and how it could help drain off water that isn't allowed to run into Welsh Water's sewers.  A solution is expected soon.

In the meantime, the adoption of the lower section is proceeding, with Cardiff talking to Barratt about finishing the remaining tasks.  A number of the trees will have to be replaced.  Boundary walling and fencing needs looking at, with only one edge apparently up to scratch and one of the corners still astoundingly short of appropriate fencing and footways.

This is definitely one sure way of showing how not to create a public open space; imagine leaving three developers to sort it out between them instead of making one of them responsible for the whole thing.  That's what should have happpened from the start. 
Apparently both developers are keen to decouple from this development, but of course the best way to do that is to pull one's corporate finger out and complete the tasks to the required standard.  Perhaps it really is rocket science. 

Promises have been made in the past and many of them haven't been fulfilled.  So we wait to see what happens and more importantly, when...

In the meantime please stay in touch and we'll post more news when we get it.

The Gardener