A new housing development described as “one of the best schemes seen in the city” has been approved for a Cardiff suburb. The scheme, containing 35 homes, was put forward by Cardiff Living, a partnership between Cardiff Council and housing developer Wates Residential.
Location and Approval
The approved development is located on land south of Willowbrook Drive in Trowbridge and is set to provide 35 new homes. The plans were received enthusiastically by members of the council’s planning committee.
Councillor Michael Michael called the proposal “one of the best schemes I’ve seen in the city” while councillor Garry Hunt said the housing development was “most welcome”. Councillor Peter Wong said “this is a really excellent, sympathetic use of an existing space” and councillor Sean Driscoll added that the scheme “looks really good”.
Design and Features
Planning documents note that one of the key concepts driving the design was an aim to “create a strong sense of place through high quality residential architecture, materials and a robust, permeable and legible estate layout that clearly defines the private and public realms”. Another aim was to “deliver much needed affordable and open market homes on land located within a residential context”.
Communal amenity space and green areas are also provided to create an “attractive setting for the buildings and quiet areas for residents to enjoy”. The new homes will primarily be semi-detached and terraced houses to reflect the “prevailing character of the area”.
Regarding design, planning documents state: “The architectural language is at once contemporary and familiar and, married with robust, high quality materials, is designed to deliver safe, attractive and sustainable new neighbourhoods that will not only complement the placemaking aspirations of the layout, but which will create a diverse, affordable yet aspirational places in which to live.”
New public routes will receive “appropriate” levels of street lighting, while parking areas and other footpaths will “benefit from natural surveillance to protect people and property by contributing to the safety of public spaces and pedestrian routes”.
