AN attempt by councillors to stop construction vehicles from entering the new Velindre Cancer Centre site during longer periods of the rush hour period has been defeated.
Cardiff Council’s planning committee approved plans to extend the use of the construction access route, which runs through the Whitchurch hospital site into the new Velindre Cancer Care Centre site, from 2024 to 2026.
Original permission for the construction access route had an embargo in place for construction vehicles using the access during school drop-off and pick-up times, from 8am to 9.30am and 2.30pm to 3.30pm.
However, this embargo was voluntary and not a condition imposed by council officers.
When the new application was brought before the planning committee on Thursday, January 16, a number of Cardiff councillors called for a strict embargo on construction lorries using the construction site entrance from 8am to 9am and 3pm to 4pm.
A member of the committee, Cllr Adrian Robson, said he had received a number of complaints about congestion and use of roads by construction vehicles during the rush hour, adding that these were not just coming from “those with usual interests that we hear from”.
He said: “It is getting a bit frustrating. Whatever times are decided by this committee today… needs to be rigorously enforced by this council.”
The permission will also allow continued use of the construction access as a “permanent secondary emergency access” to the new cancer centre. This would be at a reduced width.
This means the controversial proposal to build a bridge through the Hollybush Estate as a secondary emergency access will no longer go ahead.
There is a condition on the new permission which stipulates that “no HGVs used in the construction of the Velindre Cancer Care Centre shall use the Whitchurch hospital access during the following hours: 8.15 to 8.45am and 3.15 – 3.45pm Monday to Friday (school term times)”.
Council officer, Justin Jones said at the meeting: “In terms of those hours… the entrance is safe for pedestrians to go back and forth when those vehicles are being used.”
The officer added that if the committee voted to extend the hours already agreed to, it could “extend the delay” of the project.
Planning officer, Steve Ball, re-iterated this concern that council officers had, saying extending the agreed hours could risk extending the time of the project by “up to eight months” or even more.
Velindre University NHS Trust says it still plans to receive its first patient at the new Velindre Cancer Centre in 2025.
