The sites of two blocks of student accommodation which have caused anger in the Roath community.
ROATH residents are outraged after the council approved plans for more student accommodation on City Road.
This will be the second student development to be built in the area in the past two years and means that City Road will soon be home to over 400 new students.
The new student housing will be built less than 100 yards from another student development which is due to be completed later this year.
Locals fear this could mean the area is soon overrun with students.
The car park at 21-27 City Road, which is to be turned into 139 student rooms.
Tim Stonhill, 53, who lives in the area, said: “It’s appalling that they’re even considering this. This part of town needs some changes but student accommodation is a ridiculous idea, especially when there’s already some being built just over the road.
“There are plenty of other areas in Cardiff that’d be more suitable, somewhere closer to the universities.”
A resident of Pascall Court, which is next to the proposed site, said: “My wife and I chose this house specifically because it isn’t too close to the student parts of the city.
“It’s a nice neighbourhood at the moment but once we’ve got students spilling out onto our streets that’s all going to go. House prices will drop and the area will just become completely student-focussed. It’s such a shame.”
Under the development plans, the site at 21 to 27 City Road, would be transformed from a car park into two buildings made up of 139 separate student rooms.
This is in addition to the 279-room development that is under construction on Oxford Street, less than 100 metres away from the new site.
The 279-room Oxford Street accommodation due to be finished later this year
A member of staff at Yongjia supermarket, opposite the development site, expressed concerns about parking.
“It’s too narrow, I don’t know how they will fit in there. They’re already building another one round the back of City Road which they’re supposed to finish soon – where’s everyone going to park? And what about all the traffic problems we’ll get when they start building this new one?”
As part of the agreement, the council has requested that the developer provide £57,400 towards community facilities and £83,598 towards the provision of open space.
This is in addition to money contributed by the Oxford Street accommodation developer, which amounts to £147,816 towards open space in the area and £114,390 towards facilities for the local community.
Mr Stonhill doesn’t believe these financial contributions will benefit the residents of the area.
“They’re trying to wow us with these massive sums but really they’re paying to build a new neighbourhood.
“If people move away because of this then that money will go to providing more for the students and it’ll turn into a hotspot for them.
“I can’t understand it, I really can’t.”
