Hey everyone! It’s Grace here, your friendly neighbourhood youth councillor, and also a member of the Community and Adult Services Scrutiny Committee (CASSC). Last Monday, I had the chance to visit two really interesting housing development sites with some members of CASSC and it was a real eye opener! I was really pleased that I was able to go along with Carey from the Child Friendly City team, it made me feel more confident about visiting these sites. Here’s the lowdown on what I saw:
First Stop: Leckwith Road Community Living Scheme
Our first stop was the Leckwith Road Community Living Scheme in Canton
- It’s being built to provide 41 fully accessible one and two-bedroom homes for older people, with the goal of helping them live independently
- It’s not just flats though! There’ll be communal spaces to help everyone socialise, as well as a medical room and landscaped community gardens
- The building is designed to be energy efficient with underfloor heating and ground source heat pumps. They actually drilled down 200 meters to get warm water from underground to use in the underfloor heating!
We had to wear hard hats and high-vis jackets and, because it is a building site, it was important to wear sturdy boots. Some people who didn’t have boots were able to borrow some from the contractors on site. The development looked amazing, the concrete frame is up and the roofing is underway! It’s also great that the community centre is being re-provided and the multi-use games area (MUGA) is being moved within the development.
It’s also in a great location in the heart of Canton, with the high street and local shops and services just a walk away. It’s really well served by Cardiff buses too!
Next Up: Maple Fields in Llanrumney
Next, we went to Maple Fields, which is located on the site of the former Llanrumney High School. This development is completely different to Leckwith Road – it’s all about family homes, with a mix of two, three, four, and five-bedroom houses, including detached, semi-detached, and townhouses.
This development feels really inclusive and has lots of green spaces. The area is designed around tree-lined avenues and open areas which will be great for children and families. Maple Fields is meant to be about more than just housing, it’s about building a real community. It’s also great for getting around – there are local bus routes and it’s not too far to walk to local amenities, plus, the M4 is nearby for travel further afield.
Final Thoughts
It was super interesting to see the different types of housing being built in Cardiff…. Both developments are really different, but they’re both so important for our city. The Leckwith Road site is focused on supporting older people with independent living, while Maple Fields is all about creating a family-friendly neighbourhood. I was really pleased to be there, and learn more about the ways that Cardiff council is trying to create good quality homes that are sustainable and fit for the future.
If you’ve got any questions, or want to know more, feel free to comment below or get in touch with me or the Youth Council!
Hello, I was wondering if you knew whether the Leckwith Road site apartments have been allocated yet? Many thanks!
Hi Tiffany, We wouldn’t have access to that sort of information. We would suggest that you either contact your local councillor which can be found here https://cardiff.moderngov.co.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1&LLL=0
Or you could contact Councillor Lee Bridgeman who is the Cabinet Member for Housing & Communities and his email is Lee.e.bridgeman@cardiff.gov.uk.
I hope this helps, and please get back in touch if there is anything else we can help with.