Friday, January 07, 2005
Press Release: Councillor Condemns decision on land sale
Ralph Cook, Cardiff County Councillor for Trowbridge & St. Mellons and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Labour Group, has condemned a "decision" to prepare for sale a thirteen-acre plot of land in St. Mellons, ear-marked since the 1970's for a High School".
Ralph Cook has a number of concerns about the proposal, including:
· Failure to consult local Councillors before submitting a planning application for residential housing on the land
· Premature release of the land before the review of school places is completed
· The loss of a facility that has been promised to the new community of St. Mellons and neighbouring Trowbridge for over 30 years
· Rejection of a request from local Councillors for the community to be granted a fraction of the proceeds of the sale to be re-invested in existing local facilities in desperate need of up-grading
Councillor Cook said:
"I am appalled at the Council's failure to consult my colleagues and I before submitting the planning application, we found out about the proposal in the same way as I would learn of a proposal to build an extension on a house. Why the sudden haste to proceed? Considering the amount of land already available for sale for housing development in Trowbridge & St. Mellons I think it is unacceptable to rush this proposal through - in fact I think I smell a rat!"
"My chief concern is that a High School has been promised for decades and, if it had been built, would have represented a significant resource to the local community as well as a school. I immediately requested a proportion of the proceeds of the sale be spent upgrading the St. Mellons Community Education Centre which requires about £400,000 to be spent on it to bring it up to modern health and safety standards. This idea has been rejected so I have been told by Cllr. Mark Stephens, a Member of the Council's Liberal Democrat Executive.
Councillor Cook said he is intending to gauge feeling among his constituents before deciding how to proceed.
Ralph Cook has a number of concerns about the proposal, including:
· Failure to consult local Councillors before submitting a planning application for residential housing on the land
· Premature release of the land before the review of school places is completed
· The loss of a facility that has been promised to the new community of St. Mellons and neighbouring Trowbridge for over 30 years
· Rejection of a request from local Councillors for the community to be granted a fraction of the proceeds of the sale to be re-invested in existing local facilities in desperate need of up-grading
Councillor Cook said:
"I am appalled at the Council's failure to consult my colleagues and I before submitting the planning application, we found out about the proposal in the same way as I would learn of a proposal to build an extension on a house. Why the sudden haste to proceed? Considering the amount of land already available for sale for housing development in Trowbridge & St. Mellons I think it is unacceptable to rush this proposal through - in fact I think I smell a rat!"
"My chief concern is that a High School has been promised for decades and, if it had been built, would have represented a significant resource to the local community as well as a school. I immediately requested a proportion of the proceeds of the sale be spent upgrading the St. Mellons Community Education Centre which requires about £400,000 to be spent on it to bring it up to modern health and safety standards. This idea has been rejected so I have been told by Cllr. Mark Stephens, a Member of the Council's Liberal Democrat Executive.
Councillor Cook said he is intending to gauge feeling among his constituents before deciding how to proceed.
