Summary of Heath Residents’ Association (HRA) Annual Meeting April 2024
Introduction
The Committee explained what it had been doing in terms of engagement with the community including the events it had been involved in since the last meeting in April 2023. The Committee also outlined the issues of concern it had been helping residents with over the same period. The meeting was then opened out to hear about residents’ current concerns.
Engagement with the community.
At the Heath Residents’ Association members meeting in April 2023 the Committee said that as well as identifying issues which may affect residents’ quality of life and to help find solutions, they also want to have a more active and positive role to engagement in the community for the benefit of residents.
During the year we invited all the local community groups in Heath and Birchgrove to come together to discuss working better together with each other. We are pleased to report that this proved successful in that it led to events of benefit to the community as well as a better understanding of what we as local organisations all do and can offer.
In terms of events, it led to the organisation of what we hope will be the first of many Heath and Birchgrove Christmas Festivals. Local community and church groups put on ten or so events in the area in month up to Christmas. Some of our committee members also attended the Birchgrove Business Group. This Group represent traders in the Birchgrove area on Caerphilly Road and it links to Birchgrove School through the Head who attends the Group meetings. With assistance from our local councillors, the traders joined in the Festival with their shop windows being decorated with designs produced by the children from the school. The children also took part in a carol service outside one of the businesses.
As part of the festival, as well as being key to publicising events for the other community organisations, we held our own HRA Christmas coffee and cake morning and raised about £75 for the Ronald McDonald House Charity at UHW. In addition, HRA committee purchased selection boxes for local children attending the Christmas event at Llwynfedw Gardens which was part of the festival.
We also advertised other events for community groups throughout the year such as the Friends of Llwynfedw Gardens summer Party in the Park and the Halloween theme Craftaholics spooky craft fair held at the Heath Citizens Association Cardiff (HCAC) Building in October.
Some HRA committee members and some HRA members, as well as representatives from the other local groups have taken part in the first few of the regular Heath/Birchgrove litter picks which have been set up by our local councillors.
Meeting with the other community groups has also led to HRA committee members working with representatives from Heath Citizens’ Association Cardiff (HCAC) to forming a small project group to take forward a project leading to a free, interactive exhibition with food and music at one of the HCA buildings on Saturday, 8th June 2024. The idea is to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day which is on 6th June 2024 but also importantly the local connection to the Heath. As you will know from what we have sent out to you as members, United States Forces were based at Heath Park in May and June 1944 prior to the D-Day landings. They called their base Camp Heath. Some of the wartime buildings they used still exist, including the two HCAC buildings.
We wanted this project to have an intergenerational element and in terms of children in the Heath we have been working with both local primary schools as this project ties in with the curriculum in terms of a local connection to historical events. As a result, both our local primary schools, year 6 pupils with support from their teachers will be putting on events which parents/carers will be invited to on Friday 7th June. The children we be able display their work and undertake other activities related to the project in the rear HCAC Hall. Birchgrove school will do this in the morning and Ton Yr Ywen in the afternoon.
Looking even further forward, we hope to hold a HRA carol concert and collection for charity in conjunction with and at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in December.
Issues we have helped or tried to help residents with.
One of the issues we have been dealing with recently and continue to lobby for a solution for, is the changes to bus services in the Heath area and in particular the recent withdrawal of the 86 bus route.
Using what residents have sent to us in terms of their practical concerns about the inability to access the UHW as well as the inability to travel into the centre of Cardiff, we have contacted the local MP, MS, relevant Cardiff Council Cabinet member as well as our three ward councillors.
The issue is a particular concern for residents living on Maes y Coed Road and Heathway and in the vicinity of those two roads who have until very recently relied on the 86 service to get them to the Heath Hospital as well as into town.
We are hopeful there will be a reconfiguration of the 101 route to travel via these two roads to the hospital. We will continue to press on this and on a practical solution in terms of the journey into the city for residents from those roads as well as other residents who live on the eastern part of the Heath.
Parking and traffic problems.
The main issues have involved Heathwood Road and Heathway.
The Heathway problems stemmed in large part from the mass vaccination centre that had been set up nearby. These have now we understand been resolved.
We have had repeated discussions with our local ward councillors about Heathwood Road. We were encouraged by the street cleaning and leaf clearance initiatives that the council undertook on this road in the last year and especially in the autumn and winter. We have also kept on the agenda in our meetings with local councillors the issue of potential parking controls in Heathwood Road. As we have discussed these two categories of potential solutions have emerged: (1) those limited to the far end/Caerphilly Road end of Heathwood Road and (2) a scheme for the whole of Heathwood Road. Residents’ views are obviously vital to any solution. Cardiff Council’s financial position is also a key factor.
If supported by the residents impacted, we wonder if to progress things the limited scheme would be possible to address the most serious parking issues at the Caerphilly Road end.
Parking permits.
We also help resolve an issue about visitor permits/ the need or otherwise for a business permit for traders undertaking work for some residents.
We raised the large increase in the cost of resident and visitor permits for some parts of the Heath as part of the overall Cardiff Council budget consultation process as residents had been mentioned it to us as an issue of concern.
Other issues we have help residents with
At the end of the summer, we raised with our ward councillors and they help resolved to the satisfaction of the local residents, road surface reinstatement problems in Crystal Wood Road.
We drew HRA members attention to Cardiff Council’s budget (2024/25) consultation and to the local listening event held on 27th January 2024. Some HRA committee members attended that event and made the point that the enjoyment and the protection of Heath Park is of huge importance to us.
We recently wrote to local councillors to ask that action be taken to stop the dangerous motorcycle activity that has been taking place in the lane leading from King George V Avenue to St Agnes Road.
List of current issues raised by residents.
Residents raised a number of issues with us at the meeting and they are listed in summary below.
The removal of the 86 bus route remained a significant concern.
Parking as a significant problem on the Caerphilly Road end of Heathwood Road particularly on weekends when customers were using the takeaway food outlets was highlighted.
Road surfacing problems, particularly potholes on H’wood Road, Maes-y-Coed and other parts of the Heath was raised by residents.
The need for a more visual presence of parking wardens in the area who can be seen to be handing out penalties in order to deter bad practice was suggested.
Concern was voiced that some people were now using Cathays Cemetery as a car park.
Members wanted to know when the promised North Cardiff recycling facility would be opening.
The children’s play area in Heath Park was thought to be inferior to other similar facilities in the area e.g. Llanishen. Linked to this, residents asked whether the money from the car park at Heath Park get reinvested in the Park.
Cyclists and e-scooters using pavements were felt to be hazardous for pedestrians and needed to be reviewed by the Council with a view to
taking further action especially bearing in mind the number of cycle paths which have now appeared in the area. Bikes & electric scooter issues on Rhydhelig Avenue and Caerphilly Road were also mentioned. Car speeding issues on Caerphilly Road & Heathwood Road were also raised.
The problems in terms of availability of green bags was noted.
Residents in Heath Park Drive explained they had experienced significant issues with Transport for Wales (TfW) since on-line developments had taken place particularly in relation to tree cutting activities and he wanted to establish if other residents had similar experiences.
It was reported that since the initial meeting with TfW there had been no further consultation and that the correct processes for road closures had not been implemented and were inadequate. Residents also explained the problems they were experiencing in terms of timing, nature and extent of the works carried out.
We continue to seek to resolve all these issues including, where appropriate, in our regular meetings with the local ward councillors.
We will, in our email updates to members, inform you of progress on these issues as well and other issues and events that arise during the year.