February 2025 – County Councillor Reports
Below are the monthly reports from your County Councillors for the Radyr & Morganstown Ward.
Cllr Calum Davies – February report
Received by the Web Team on 4 March 2025
Replacement Local Development Plan
The formal public consultation on the next stage of the RLDP runs from 18 February to 15 April. As stated in my last update, none of the candidate sites in Radyr and Morganstown have been taken to the next stage, but you still may want to comment, which you can do via cardiffldp.co.uk. There will also be a handful of Community Consultation workshops in this period. To book a place at any of these sessions please use the following link. There will be a meeting in the New School Rooms on Heol Isaf at 7:30pm on Monday 10th March with Cardiff Council on the Deposit Plan, hosted by the Community Council and the Radyr & Morganstown Local Development Group.
Budget
The Council’s budget for the next year will be decided this week, with a planned Council Tax increase of 4.95%. I will vote against this budget and for the alternative budget put forward by the Conservatives. Our alternative will increase Council Tax by only half that rate and drop plans to scrap free parking at Council-owned car parks in district centres like Canton, Llandaff, and Whitchurch. I am concerned by the figures that the British Government’s new National Insurance rates will add nearly £10m extra worth of costs to the Council – which does not believe they will be fully compensated for the increase – as well as around £5m to commissioning external parties for works, which we know will not be compensated. It is a source of disappointment that the much-vaunted sums of money going into education in Cardiff is actually just to cover this national insurance increase as well as pay and pension obligations, while dozens of schools continue to run a deficit.
Anti-social behaviour
There have been reports of young people exhibiting anti-social behaviour in public spaces, including Drovers Way Park, recently. I would appeal to all those socialising in these spaces to be respectful of others and the neighbours in those areas. I would be most grateful to parents and guardians who pass on that advice, as would residents near those popular areas.
Garden Waste
Fortnightly garden waste collections are to recommence from Tuesday 18th March. Check the Council website for what bins get collected and when.
Radyr Rangers
I met with representatives of the club and Cardiff Council to discuss the next stage of plans for the clubhouse. I am grateful to those at the Council who are supporting the club as they work to improve facilities in the community.
Surgery
I held my latest surgery at the end of February. I will advertise my next one via my report and the Radyr Chain.
Cllr Helen Lloyd Jones – February Report
Received by the Web Team on 5 March 2025
Headline Items
Buses FIRST PRIORITY
Buses and TfW Transport for Wales
The long-awaited meeting with officers who deal with Cardiff Bus and TfW happened at the beginning of February.
The need for a bus to link up with Radyr Railway station.
TfW do not want to lose the option of using Rail Replacement buses, so they will be keeping the smaller car park by the ticket office much as it is.
The commercial bus wouldn’t be able to use that space to turn if it couldn’t be done in one lock. If there was any need to reverse, apparently there has to be a banksman to make sure the bus doesn’t run a person over.
That means that we can’t think of using the railway station as the location for the bus stop.
The suggestion was that the bus stop could be at the bottom of Kings Avenue.
There is no real reason why there can’t be a bus service to the railway station which was in the Metro proposals other than financial.
TfW offered us the data they had on passengers. This could help us determine the need for a bus, but nothing has been passed on as yet.
TfW will produce a map as you leave the station showing the current position of bus stops so at least someone arriving in Radyr will know where to find a bus stop.
I also asked if the fare could be the same from Taffs Well as it is from Radyr because people deliberately drive to Radyr for the cheaper bus far.
We still need to flag up the need for a one ticket system like they have in the Upper Rhondda area where one ticket covers bus and train fare.
TfW then left the meeting and other bus problems in Radyr were discussed.
We had been told that the 62 was funded by Section 106 money and the route can not be altered. This is no longer true. We were advised that the 62 is now funding itself. This surprised me as every time I see a 62, the bus rarely has more than 4 passengers, often none in the stretch from the petrol station on Llantrisant Road up to Clos Parc Radur. The question of where passengers get on and off the 62 will be asked.
The idea of a shuttle bus was dismissed as too expensive. Small saving perhaps on the bus but the real costs are in providing a driver.
It was pointed out to be that the subsidy for the Radyr bus was large. The question of which other buses get subsidised and by how much will be asked.
Drovers’ Way
The lights have arrived in the alley way between Plymouth Drive and Drovers Way playground. Parc Radur Management Company is willing to fund an extra light for us if the cost is within their budget. Difficulties raised are slowly being eliminated. The play area outside the playground has been re-seeded and the grass is growing well.
St Philbert St
Last time I went past there was no sign of landscaping in front of St Philbert. The developer has advised me that the order for the landscaping has been given. This is being chased by one of Redrow’s site managers.
Clos Parc Radur
No reports of smells this month.
Radyr Cricket Club
The floods exposed an electric cable by the Club House. National Grid have fixed it but we all want to know what that cable does and how many properties are served by the cable. We have a site visit with the MP hoping to join us this month with National Grid. (Please remember energy isn’t devolved)
The riverbank is being eroded and if we are to keep the Club House and the permissive path, there has to be some riverbank protection. We are having a site visit with Natural Resources Wales and our MS Mark Drakeford to discuss the options late March.
Morganstown
Radyr Rangers (RR) SECOND PRIORITY
There has been a site visit with FAW on re improvements to the pitch on Mound Field.
There has also been a meeting of a working group towards progressing the Changing Rooms and the overall vision of a Club House which went well.
The fields that belonged to Cwm Farm
We have been advised that the fields can not be used for development and that the owner is simply improving his land. Interestingly on another site visit (have been busy this month) a drainage engineer commented that the work has been done well.
Morganstown Village Hall
There has been another positive meeting between the trustees of the Hall and the Community Council this month.
Radyr and Morganstown
Litter Picking
There is an active group of litter pickers. Please contact peter.fortuneuk@gmail.com for details. The more the merrier.
Radyr Woods Wardens
We are lucky to have such dedicated volunteers. They would love to have more. Contact clerk@radyr.wales if you’d like to help too.
I have a Facebook page Cllr Helen Lloyd Jones Do please follow me.
Replacement Local Development Plan
We had a meeting of our RLDP Radyr and Morganstown group with one of the planners today to check some details in the report. Generally, the feedback is that we have achieved the result we wanted for Radyr and Morganstown, so a combination of my going on every task and finish group connected to the RLDP and our group meeting the planners has proved worthwhile. I am happy to take the credit for setting the group up but we had several dedicated members on that group and I would like to thank Angela Gray for chairing the group brilliantly. Teamwork in Radyr and Morganstown as always. Public meeting on March 10th at 7:30pm in the New School Rooms. You are welcome to come along
Youth Work THIRD PRIORITY
The Cardiff Youth Services CYS will start holding a Youth Club for Year 7,8 and 9 at Radyr Comp on Fridays starting this month. I was told the Youth Club is starting on March 14th but the youth workers in the comp will make sure the pupils know when it will start. The Thursday Session will continue to be held in the Radyr Hub. Huge thanks to the Community Council for the commitment they have shown to providing Youth facilities in the ward.
Flooding under the M4 bridge
Having had a site meeting, hopefully there will be some remedial work done in the summer which will reduce the amount of flooding.
Flooding by Pughs Garden Centre
Another site visit! with a walk from Meadowfield Drive where we looked at the work being done on the large Cwm Farm fields and then followed the stream down to the Ty Nant. It goes under Ffordd Treforgan and it used to go into the Cwm Farm Pond but that has silted up. And so has an area beside the pond. Now when it rains the water goes straight over the pond across the Public Right of Way making it impassable and then down to the grid at the bottom of Ffordd Treforgan.
The plan is to put a pipe from the Cwm Farm Pond under the footpath to stop the water over flowing, to pull all the silt in the side pond to the front to build up a little bank which will enable it to hold more water in wet conditions and also to pull some of the residue in Cwm Farm Pond to the front of it to make that like more of a wall which will also slow the rate of water going down the valley. We are reluctant to do more towards the back of the pond because we noticed there are ducks claiming territory there and it’s a nice place to stop awhile.
The gridded area lower down the valley by the road was designed to act as an attenuation tank holding the water back a bit when we have heavy rain but the bowl shape that was put in place has silted up.
The stream then goes under Ffordd Treforgan and comes out by the Ty Nant. Inspection of that area shows it is cluttered up with branches and bits and pieces and probably also silted. The overflow hole has a branch inside it! So that will get cleaned up too.
There is a drain just below the Ty Nant which is completely full so that will be cleaned up as well.
The stream turns a right angle before that drain is reached. It goes behind Pughs Garden Centre and then becomes the stream in Mound Field. Some of you will have noticed that it is a very tidy stream in Mound Field with definite straight sides towards the exit of the field by the Butterfly Bridge. That is because it was the leet, the source of water that powered a corn mill in the 17th Century down by the Taff. No signs of the Mill I am told but I keep hoping we’ll find exactly where it was one day.
Green Waste Collections
The Council does not have a statutory duty to collect garden waste. Many other councils in Wales charge for garden waste collection. I have lobbied for green waste to be collected during the winter and will continue to do so.
Police Incidents
When we ask for a regular police patrol, we get told there aren’t enough incidents to justify their presence. Please use swp101@south-wales.police.uk and flag up any incident if you witness one.
Goldies
Goldies is every first Friday of the month in the New School Rooms by Christchurch 2pm -4pm. Next will be March 7th Everybody welcome to come and sing along with the Karaoke.
Radyr Weir Landing Stage
Many of you have mentioned the loss of the steps at Radyr Weir Landing Stage. There was no alternative because the steps were rotten and there were long nails sticking out. I chaired a meeting with stakeholders (canoeists, kayakers, paddle boarders, wild water swimmers and the key council officers) over a year ago. There are issues that need resolving. There has been an independent report on the Recreational Use of Inland Water which used Radyr Weir Landing Stage as a case study.
The next step is to have a detailed risk assessment of the site and to discuss with stakeholders the way forward.
Please note that water sports on rivers are dangerous and that the water quality can not be guaranteed as safe.
Cardiff National Park City
I am delighted to say that I submitted 200 signatures to the umbrella organisation for National Park Cities in February and that makes us an Emerging National Park City. For our next step, we would love to hear from any of you who have ideas about creating a National Park City and we are looking (BIG HINT) for someone who would like to be the Treasurer of the group.
The Budget
Having a Labour government in Westminster has brought a better settlement to Wales with a knock-on better settlement to Cardiff. We still have a Budget Gap, but it is now £27.7 million whereas last year we were expecting to have a gap of £70 million.
And if you like me thought that the Council Tax you pay provides for all the services the Council gives us, you will be surprised to find out that it doesn’t. It helps but without the back-up from the Senedd and Westminster we would be seriously struggling.
I will be chairing the Full Council Budget Meeting in March.
Lord Mayor Duties
I was very honoured to host a St David’s Day Civic Service at St Johns Church in the centre of Cardiff and then in the Mansion House. I hope everyone had a wonderful St David’s Day and I think we all liked the display in Windsor Gardens that the Merched Y Wawr did for us. Mil o ddiolch Merched Y Wawr.
I was also honoured to represent you all and the City of Cardiff at an event with the Princess Royal at Lower Stockland’s farm in St Fagans.