Welsh Government as Cosmeston developer must comply with FG Act

Cosmeston coastal development  on public land: 

FoE call on Jane Hutt to ensure her government's Estates Dept. complies with the Future Generations Act.

Though the Welsh Government owns the land, it is behaving as a developer maximising its "assets", so Barry & Vale FoE are pressing Jane Hutt to intervene.   The Future Generations Act is toothless if Mark Drakeford's Cabinet allows their Estates department to ignore both the spirit and the letter of the Act.

Max Wallis points out

"The Welsh Government have hired Asbri Planning who aim to build a housing estate with apartments up to 9 storeys. not even a shop and no remedy for the lack of health and public transport facilities in lower Penarth. They would build right up to the coast, leaving space only for the Wales Coastal Path which could erode away in a generation or two."

Keith Stockdale says

"I can hardly believe the Welsh Government want to build here, in green fields used by migrating birds, next to the Severn Special Area of Conservation and threatening the Wales Coastal Path. 

When the sea erodes this and the next open section, the Coastal Path
would have to be diverted through the new housing estate

We are asking Jane Hutt AM whose constituency covers this area and Vaughan Gething who covers Penarth, to meet local objectors at Cosmeston to see for themselves the threat of the Welsh Government as developers to our precious environment and discuss sustainability principles for the use of this public land.

FoE's letter of 28 October says:

to Jane Hutt AM for Vale of Glamorgan

Cosmeston development: ensure the WG section complies with the Future Generations Act and uses its land here for sustainable development

You will be aware the Cosmeston (Upper Farm) development is by the Welsh Government, who have hired Asbri Planning** to manage the scheme. The WG could be using their land positively; however, officials at the public session told people their aim was to “realise their assets by building on the land”.

They have no intention of remedying the lack of local shops, health and community services in the adjacent housing estates, resulting from the non-sustainable expansion of housing sprawl over the last decades.  Your Cabinet colleague Julie James* told housing developers to build communities, not estates, and promised “government leverage to stop that happening, not to help it to happen."

Asbri have no intention of reserving a strip along the coast for public recreation and/or for safeguarding the Wales Coastal Path for future generations against coastal erosion.

They do not aim to protect the Severn Estuary ‘Special Area of Conservation’ or to respect the RAMSAR status of the coastal strip in providing for migrating birds.

They have no intention of planning for the Metro to be extended to this estate and a Cosmeston terminal, omitting to mention or even consult Transport-for-Wales over possible re-opening the rail-line for future metro-trans

Despite the site being remote from Penarth (the ‘service centre’), they haven’t assessed how far facilities could be comfortably reached by walking or cycling and what new provisions should be provided locally to make this development together with the neighbouring housing area (Lavernock Park estate etc.) “sustainable”.  The dearth of shops and complete absence of GP services in lower Penarth are obvious issues.

Asbri Planning say on community facilities that their team discussed “options for community facilities in the area” with C&V University Health Board, not the appropriate VoG Public Services Board. 

Asbri’s pre-planning consultation just asked people to say if they are in favour or against the development and give reasons.  That shows no openness to ideas on designing for all the sustainability issues.

EIA “scoping” is supposed to address such issues, but failed because your Welsh Government planners failed to act independently in their scoping role.  The Vale of Glamorgan asked only for a school, their direct responsibility.  The Welsh Government did not reply from their responsibility for Transport for Wales, CO2 emissions, future generations etc.

Would you therefore intervene and inform the estates section of the Welsh Government that they are bound by the Future Generations Act.  They should issue new instructions to their consultants Asbri – the ANNEX below contains our specific proposals.

You will be well aware that there are poor developers who aim for minimum standards, and good developers who put high weight on sustainability.  Now the Government have declared a climate emergency, you have surely to instruct your estates department to join the latter category.

We’d invite you to meet representatives of local critics on-site and at the Cosmeston Park café at a convenient time, and look forward to hearing from you.   

   Friends of the Earth Barry&Vale

   -----------------------------------

* Ministerial address to the Tai 2019 Conference:  bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-49016996

** Asbri Planning documents on  their website, before they blocked it:   https://www.asbriplanning.co.uk/statutory-pre-application-consultation/cosmeston.  

ANNEX: Need for WG to issue new instructions to their consultants (FoE propose)

            WG Estates are presumably in the portfolio of the Minister for Finance, Rebecca Evans AM

1. assessing the dearth of health and community facilities in lower Penarth and giving priority to mitigating them
2. public transport into Penarth by-passing traffic congestion - metro-trams and buses through the adjacent housing area (via bus-only gates)
3. planning for a metro-tram Cosmeston station, serving the Cosmeston Lakes Park as well as the local housing
4. leaving a wide coastal strip, safeguarding the Wales Coastal Path from erosion for at least five future generations, to keep it as a rural wildlife-rich path buffered from any urban development.
5. meeting WG obligations under RAMSAR, to keep urban development off the coastal area used by migrating birds
6. sponsor a trial archaeological dig to assess what areas need safeguarding from development (thought to be part of the Cosmeston medieval settlement).
7. carry out an Equality and Health Impact Assessment, which would bring out need for design of bus-access safe for schoolkids, safe-routes to the school, and for a 20mph speed limit (not the 30mph they propose)  
8. providing renewable energy generation and zero-CO2 homes (stronger eco-insulation standards)
9. guarantees to fund car-charging points and social (uneconomic) public transport on Sundays and evenings.