Our perfect neighbourhood is being ruined by council demolishing house and putting in a cycle path

RESIDENTS have blasted the council for ruining their perfect neighbourhood with a cycle path – after demolishing a “perfectly good” house.

The four-bed home will be flattened in the leafy suburban cul-de-sac on the outskirts of Cardiff, Wales, to create a cycle route to a new “affordable” housing development.

WNSVaughan & Alison Williams say the demolition will change the dynamic of their street[/caption]

The £300,000 house, which is not even 20-years-old, will be destroyed as part of plans for 45 new social housing homes next to their existing private houses.

Families lost a planning battle against the cycle path and footpath run through their quiet suburban cul-de-sac.

A petition to “Save Number 43” was signed by nearly 300 people to call on Cardiff Council to reject the pathway plans in the Pontprennau suburb of commuter homes.

Neighbour Joanna Fashan presented the petition to Cardiff council’s planning committee – in a desperate battle to save their privacy.

She said: “Residents deliberately purchased properties on this street as it was a closed cul-de-sac, knowing we could raise our families safely, have quiet retirements, feel safe living alone, and all the other positives that living on such a street has.

“This alleyway creates a rat run. We are therefore at risk of higher crime rates, for example from opportunist car thieves.

“This puts the safety and security of the whole community at risk.”

The house was bought more than a year ago by site developers, United Welsh, who are renting it out before the demolition.

Emma Fortune, a planning agent representing the developers, said: “This footpath and cycleway will provide an important strategic active travel link for residents.

“The link provides a safe and convenient alternative, so residents can walk or cycle, rather than use their cars.”

Meanwhil, neighbours have blasted the development, complaining about it creating a social housing “ghetto”.

In response, Cllr Ali Ahmed said: “We’re not creating any ghetto.

“Most people who live in social housing, some of them are solicitors, barristers, engineers, you name it. Yes we are destroying one house, but we are trying to provide 45 much-needed homes for Cardiff residents.”

Vaughan and Alison Williams are both retired and have lived at their home for over 20 years but will now consider moving.

They said: “We’ve got no problem with social housing and when we purchased our property it was in a quiet cul-de-sac.

“The demolition won’t make us feel secure and it’ll change the dynamic of the street. You don’t expect a perfectly good house to be demolished.

“The cycle path leads to nowhere, there’s no shops at the bottom of the road.

“If the decision wasn’t reversed eventually we would move because our dynamics would change completely.”

‘LET DOWN’

The neighbours deny being “not in my backyard” nimbys trying to block the people living in the affordable homes.

But residents also raised issues of the isolated nature of the development which is “plonked “among fields with no amenities or connectivity.”

Action group chairman Rob Lee said: “This lets people in affordable housing down.”

Developers United Welsh say it is important for the new builds to “integrate well” with the community.

A spokesman said: “This development will provide much needed high-quality homes for affordable rent and first-time buyers.

“It is important for the proposed new homes to integrate well with the community and for pedestrians and cyclists to have adequate access to local facilities and amenities

“Local residents are being consulted as part of the planning process.”

WNSResidents Rob Lee, Vaughan William and Alison Williams have strongly objected against the plans[/caption]

WNSThe field above will be developed[/caption]

WNSPlans showing the house that will need to be demolished to make way for the cycle path[/caption]