RESIDENTS are being given the chance to have their say on the future of three green spaces in Cathays.
Cogan, Ruthun and Llanbleddian Gardens near Senghennydd Road are under-used and attract vandalism and anti-social behaviour.
Cogan Gardens, one of the spaces the Cathays Regeneration Project wants to renovate.
The Cathays Regeneration Project aims to turn the three gardens into more usable public spaces and “restore a sense of community and place to Cathays”.
Residents have the chance to comment on the draft plans at a public consultation at the Sherman Theatre tomorrow (Saturday, February 27).They include the addition of outdoor gym equipment, ping-pong tables, a performance area and children’s play equipment, as well as free wifi. Organisers hope that attracting more people to use the gardens will discourage anti-social behaviour.
“It goes back to the broken windows thing really. If an area doesn’t look nice people won’t take ownership of it,” said project organiser Emma Robinson at a consultation event at Cardiff University where the plans were unveiled.
The Cathays Regeneration Project is made up of members of Cardiff Council, South Wales Police, Cardiff University and other local bodies.
Students from the University’s School of Human and Planning Geography carried out research for the project and Student Volunteering Cardiff will provide the labour.
The consultation, which can also be filled-in online, closes on March 23. The Cathays regeneration team will then start work on a final design. Renovation work is due to start in January 2017, depending on funding.
Ms Robinson said: “We’ve had a lot of interest since announcing the project. Other agencies like Public Health Wales and South Wales Fire and Rescue have been interested and we’ve been approached by a couple of individual donors.”
Anyone interested is welcome to the consultation at the Sherman Cymru Theatre tomorrow at 10am. They can talk to organisers and fill in a survey giving their opinion.
The survey is also available online here.
