PLANS for a new railway station and business park just outside Newport have been pushed back again after the Welsh Government decided to reopen a planning hearing on the proposals.
A two-day hearing on plans for the development, earmarked for land south of St Mellons Business Park, concluded on July 12, with experts and key stakeholders having had their say.
The Welsh Government said afterwards that it expected a decision to be made on the scheme towards the end of 2023.
In October 2023, and shortly after the planning inspector’s report on the project was submitted to Welsh ministers for a decision, changes were made to Welsh planning policy.
As a result of the changes, the Welsh Government has decided to reopen the planning hearing on January 16 at 10am.
Key changes that were made to Planning Policy Wales in October include a greater emphasis on the protection of green spaces and biodiversity, including a strengthened approach to the protection of SSSIs.
At Tuesday’s hearing, due to take place at County Hall, the planning inspector will look at how Cardiff Parkway Development Ltd’s plans align with the updated policy.
Plans for the Cardiff Parkway Station and Hendre Lakes business park were approved by Cardiff Council in April 2022.
However, the plans were put on hold when the Welsh Government called in the application in October that same year.
Planning applications are normally called in for determination by the Welsh Government if they are deemed to be of more than local importance.
At the July hearing, Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) considered whether the development complies with the national and local development plan and the impact it would have on the Rumney and Peterstone site of special scientific snterest (SSSI).
Friends of the Gwent Levels raised concerns about the impact that building a new business park on the site would have on biodiveristy.
Dr Catherine Linstrum of the friends group said building on the SSSI could be avoided. As part of a proposed mitigation for the area, the developer, Cardiff Parkway Developments Ltd, offered an area of land in compensation for any loss to the SSSI.
However, another member of the friends group, Dr Diana Callaghan, said: “We don’t see how the compensation scheme ensures the resilience of this whole ecosystem.
“There is going to be a lot of human activity where there isn’t at the moment.”
The developers have also argued that the development will be transformative for the area.
Cardiff Council’s head of economic development, Ken Poole, said a major tech firm has expressed interest in operating at the business park and ward member for Trowbridge, Cllr Michael Michael, called the plans a “once in a lifetime chance” for Cardiff’s eastern district.
After the hearing on January 16, the planning inspector will submit another report to Welsh ministers for consideration.
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