CARDIFF CIVIC SOCIETY’S ANNUAL CHAIR’S REPORT 2023-24

Facade of Gwdi-Hw, Guildford Crescent

Cardiff Civic Society held their annual general meeting in the July 2023 in the Grangetown Pavilion where our chair, Nerys Lloyd-Pierce gave the following annual report.

This year we took part in supporting three important campaigns to protect culture within the city:

• Preventing the council from reducing library services

• Resisting the closure of the Cardiff Story Museum and

• Preventing St. David’s Hall being handed over to the Academy Music Group, a subsidiary of Live Nation.

I’m pleased to report the council backed down on reducing library services, and the Cardiff Story Museum has been allowed to remain in its current city-centre location for five years, allowing time for a proper plan for its future to be formulated.

Sadly, though, the privatisation of St David’s Hall will go ahead, despite its recent Grade II listing.

On the subject of listing, our campaign to get Cadw to recognise the city’s working class heritage got off to a good start with the Grade II listing of East Moors Community Centre.

That success prompted up to partner with CAMRA – the Campaign for Real Ale – to list as many of the city’s pubs as possible – either Grade II listing or local listing.

The campaign launched at The Claude pub on March 1. We’re currently working with the council to try and embed protection of historic drinking houses in its policies.

On another note, we’ve also been helping out by drinking in these pubs, one of the perks of our good intentions!

Our campaigns to help protect the city’s green spaces continue too. Earlier this month, our vice chair, Julia Barrell, spoke at the public inquiry following the calling in of the Hendre Lakes planning application. about the need to protect the site of special scientific interest threatened by the development.

We are also looking to get protection for a fantastic brownfield site in Cardiff Bay. We have named the area Red House Meadows, as the site is close to the former Red House pub, a another fantastic lost landmark in our city. The Meadows are teeming with life. The ecologist we hired identified enough species of flora for the area to be designated a SINC – Site of Interest for Nature Conservation.

We also raised £5,000 for our Canopy Cardiff/Canopi Caerdyddd project – aimed at planting trees throughout the city, but particularly in areas of low canopy.

We have also been lobbying the Welsh Government and council about watering newly planted trees. The prolonged period of drought earlier in the summer saw many young trees perish through lack of water.

One of our most important campaigns this year and for the foreseeable future is influencing the Replacement Local Development Plan – consultation is open from now until October 5.

We’ve also enjoyed a number of highly successful events. The wonderful Peter Finch spoke to us about the latest volume in his Cardiff series – Edging the City, earlier this year. And Rob Parry of Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru led a fascinating walk on Llantrisant Common, where the rare and beautiful Marsh Fritillary Butterfly has been reintroduced. Thanks to INC’s dedication.

Join us!

It may sometimes seem like an unequal battle, but we draw strength from this quote from late union leader, Bob Crow: If you fight, you won’t always win,  but if you don’t fight, you will always lose.

 And if anyone can join us in this fight, and help share the load, we’d be delighted to hear from you.