Take-away plan has had its chips

There is a new zebra crossing outside where the take-away would have been

Plans to turn an empty shop into a late night take-away in Clare Road - right by a new zebra crossing - have been rejected by councillors.

There were objections from Councillor Francesca Montemaggi and North Grangetown Residents' Association, who also forwarded a petition from local residents. The plan involved the former Star general store on the corner of Clare Road and Court Road, with an application to turn it into a take-away opening as late as midnight and 1am at weekends.

Council officers also opposed the change of use, on traffic grounds, as well as because the site is in a primarily residential area and away from the zone further up on Clare Road and Penarth Road designated for hot food outlets.

North Grangetown Residents' Association said as well as nuisance to residents, the premises is on a main route and would have led to traffic, parking and road safety issues, with a zebra crossing now right outside.

The Association also countered the claim in the application that there was no take-away in the area, saying that there were 10 take-aways within a five minute walk. A previous bid to turn the premises into a pizza take-away had also been rejected.

Councillor Montemaggi commented: "There are already several take-away restaurants in the area.

"Another take-away would exacerbate the problems of litter and traffic. There is concern about the growing presence of take-aways in too close proximity of each other. I feel the proposal would have impacted adversely on the neighbourhood resulting in loss of amenity."

Meanwhile, a proposal has been forwarded to council planners to allow take-away sales and later opening hours at a store at 17 Corporation Road.

Bin changes in seagull 'breakfast' battle

Friday feast in Clive Street - seagulls are bagging a free meal

Cardiff Council is hoping to beat the early birds - in the battle between Grangetown residents and nuisance seagulls.

Friday collections of food waste bags had not been taking place until late in the afternoon - but the herring gulls are up early, with dawn raids on the bags left out overnight. Residents have been woken up at dawn by the noise of the seagull's "breakfast", before facing the mess left by bags being ripped apart.

Councillor Francesca Montemaggi, writing on her webpage, said she had now persuaded official to arrange collections earlier. " I have received numerous complaints from local residents about the white bags being left for collection until the afternoon," she said. "I am glad this has now been resolved and they should soon be collected in the morning. I am confident this will improve the situation greatly."

Certainly, residents need to be advised what time the refuse teams intend to call - to try to stay a few steps ahead of the seagulls. It also seems slightly bizarre to have newspapers and tin cans taken away in the early morning, while the waste food festers outside on pavements for hours before being collected.

Cardiff has one of the largest populations of urban seagulls in Europe - an estimated 2,900 pairs - and local experts believe the ready supply of food is making the suburbs an attractive place to live for the birds. Numbers are thought to be growing year on year. Nesting time also brings problems, especially for breeding pairs guarding their chicks.

Paul Shone, who has a property in Clive Street, sent us these photos, which are typical for those streets without wheelie bins. "We seem to have developed a problem with seagulls, with any bin bag left out by residents. They are devouring them at 5am and waking everyone in the process with their noisy squawking.

"We have put these complaints to the council, but seem to fall on deaf ears."

Wheelie bins have also now been agreed for those non-terraced areas of Grangetown - green bins for recyclable and food waste and black bins for other waste. However, it still leaves a problem for those large numbers living in terraced homes in the area.

Parking impact of new stadium

Councillors are hoping for controlled residents' parking in the north Grangetown and City Gardens areas, in response to the opening of the new Cardiff City stadium opening. The area around Virgil Street and Powderham Drive is in line for all-week residents' parking, while the whole North Grangetown area could also benefit eventually.

The first parking scheme is expected by October, with eventually enforcement becoming a responsibility of the council too.

Councillors David Morgan and Francesca Montemaggi told North Grangetown Residents' Association's meeting of the plans, although they won't be in place in time for the new stadium's opening. The meeting heard of issues with residents suffering a parking pressure "sandwich" from the Millennium Stadium at one end and the soon-to-be new football and rugby stadium off Sloper Road, as well as commuters and shoppers using streets. North Grangetown Residents Association has joined the Federation Of Stadium Communities and any residents or groups from the City Gardens and Leckwith areas who would be interested in jointly raising match parking/traffic issues, are asked to contact the association. It has already successfully organised street petitions to extend residents' parking to Allerton Street and Sussex Street, but said unless a wider approach was examined, streets on the fringes would suffer.

An Association spokesman said: "There is a patchwork of residents' parking in the area, which brings pressures on adjoining streets - and even parts of streets - which miss out. There are pressure points, heightened by commuters and on match-days not only involving Cardiff City, but events at the Millennium Stadium. Cardiff sells itself as a city able to host big events, but it seems to be behind far smaller towns, for example Shrewsbury, Darlington and Doncaster, who have grasped the issues generated by holding sporting events at new stadiums and the impact on local communities. We need to work on the long term issues of encouraging public transport but also a proper approach to ease problems for residents living nearest the city."

Meanwhile, residents at the meeting raised issues of vandalism, dog-fighting in Courtmead Gardens and motorbike nuisance. Councillors were also looking into complaints that white bag collections on Friday of food waste were too late in the day and causing problems with seagulls and worries over smell and vermin.

Tribute to head teacher and "good Samaritan"

Tributes have been paid to a former head of St Patrick's RC School and a devoted worker in the Grangetown community, who has died aged 78.

Peggy Rein was a teacher at St Patrick's for 38 years, including 15 years as head. She had a 45-year association with Grange Catholics Baseball team, and had remained serving as chairman. The club held a tribute before the start of the first game of the season, as did Grangetown Community Concern, before its annual general meeting. Peggy was a former treasurer and committee member of Community Concern, and still delivered its newspaper near her home. She was born the youngest of six children at the family home and shop in Clare Road, where she lived all her life and where she died in May.

Her nephew Michael, pays this tribute: "Margaret Winifred Rein was born in 1930 in Clare Road and lived there all her life. Their home was not just a home to the Rein family, but also a shop serving the Grangetown community. It was here Peggy learnt about not just weights, measures and money - which would prove so useful in schooling and her teaching career, but also servitude. Something to which Peggy dedicted her entire live. She was known as Peggy to her friends, Miss Rein to her former pupils and Auntie Peg to her many nieces and nephews.

"There are four areas that are all interwoven in her life: her family; her school life; her life in the Grangetown Community particularly St. Patrick’s Church and her involvement with Grange Catholics Baseball. Peggy was involved in the baseball for over 45 years and was very committed to Grange Catholics team. Peggy was also very involved within the community: she was a member of Grangetown Community Concern and at one stage was the Treasurer; she also delivered the meals on legs around the area for many years and lately was auditor to the Concern accounts. Her association with St Patrick’s school began when she started at St. Patrick’s Infants school in 1935, moving on to Heathfield House and then the College of the Immaculate Conception, Southampton, to train as teacher. She then returned to St. Pat’s as a young teacher in 1950 eventually becoming headteacher in 1973 until she retired in 1988. As in the wonderful film Goodbye Mr Chips, Peggy taught in an era when manners and honour were primary values and when spending ones; life in service to others was considered a noble art. Thirty eight years of devoted teaching in St. Patrick’s school. I know how proud she was of St. Patrick’s and its staff and pupils – she considered it to be a wonderful school as she would often tell people and as Dan O’Neill discovered when she wrote to the Echo in response to some comments he had made in a recent article.

"When she retired, Peggy loved to travel, and visited many countries including Russia and America and a number of European cities. She also enjoyed meals with friends and family, as good food and good conversation were two of her great hobbies. Her involvement with the church played a significant part in her life. Her informed faith was very important to her. Peggy was a Eucharistic minister regularly taking Communion to the sick of the parish; she was also a reader at Mass and was an active member of the Parish Council. She was a true Christian who lived the Gospels: faith, hope and charity dominated her life. When talking to numerous people offering their condolences to the family I was struck by one simple comment – they said that Peggy was a ‘Good Samaritan’ – two words that I believe are a true reflection on Peggy’s’ life – a person who was always available, always willing to help others and was held in great esteem by friends and family."

Parents' concern over "amazing" nursery

Parents are worried about the future of Grangetown Nursery School, after a proposed shake-up which could see it amalgamated with Grangetown Primary School.

Cardiff Council's executive have voted to put out the amalgamation plan to public consultation. It would involve the 60-year-old nursery becoming part of Grangetown Primary School and the post of head teacher disappearing. Officials say amalgamations have so far taken place elsewhere without any compulsory redundancies, while "continuity on the existing site will be maintained." The nursery school has recently won plaudits for its excellent inspection report, in which teaching standards were said to be outstanding and there was said to be "very positive relationships" between staff and 140 children.

Parents organised a meeting and protested before the council meeting. Parents said they were worried about the effect on education standards, the local community and worries over "the loss of leadership" of the head teacher. The proposal would save an estimated £56,000 a year and is part of a city-wide policy of bringing nursery education within primary schools. It is part of a shake-up which also involves primary schools in Canton and Adamsdown. The plans also would see an integrated children's centre, serving Butetown and Grangetown, at St Mary The Virgin Primary, to include special needs, speech therapy and children with protection issues.

One parent Karen McCabe, who moved to Grangetown from New Zealand, wrote to us about how the nursery provided a stimulating environment for her son, with encouragement for pupils to enjoy the outdoors and features like a nature area. She said it also played an important part of family life: "Grangetown Nursery is not your standard nursery! The outstanding leadership and staff members, are the ones that have made this amazing nursery comply with the foundation polices put in place by the Cardiff Council.

"The future of the UK depends on amazing nurseries like Grangetown, to develop an outstanding base for our children to build on. Not only does it teach the children to live a full and happy life it encourages the parents to take an active part in it. My family is extremely lucky to have been able to be a part of Grangetown Nursery and hope that many many more children in Wales are lucky enough to have the same opportunity that we have had."

A similar proposal is being put forward for Tremorfa Nursery School. Executive member for education and lifelong learning Cllr Freda Salway, said: "We will work closely with the existing schools in order to achieve a smooth transition now these proposals have been approved."

FAITH IN GRANGETOWN

Church celebrates heritage

St Paul's Church in Paget Street held a week-festival to celebrate its history.

There were displays by local artists and schoolchildren, as well as photos and a chance to view parish records, in the church from July 6th-10th. The church also hosted special services, organ recitals and choral music.

Father Ben Andrews explained the reason behind it. "It was after visiting St. Joseph's Church Cwmaman in the Cynon valley that inspired us to look at putting on a heritage festival," he said.

"Although St. Paul's is only 119 years old, it has an interesting history and the community of Grangetown has an interesting heritage that we wanted to celebrate.

"And also to bring to community together, so that we can value the past, embrace the present and discover the future."

The listed church building was put up for sale last year, with the parish facing mounting maintenance costs. There is a long term hope of a new "downsized" church and hall being built.

St Paul's was conscecrated by the Bishop of Llandaff in 1890. It was built on an acre of land given five years earlier by Lord Windsor, who also donated £4,000 to build the church's 75ft-long knave.

The building was aimed at accommodating a congretation of 600. The congegration initially came under the parish of St John's in Canton and first met in Vanstone's Loft, over a stable in North Street. When the Grangetown National School (renamed St Paul's Church-in-Wales Primary in 1963) opened in Bromsgrove Street in 1864, the Sunday services moved there. In 1879, Lady Mary Windsor Clive had given £500 for the building of the Iron Mission Church, known as "The Iron Room". It was here that a service was held in March 1889, ahead of the laying of a foundation stone by Lord Windsor. Around 200 then sat down to lunch at the school.

OBITUARY: Priest's long service to Grangetown Long-serving priest at St Patrick's catholic church in Grangetown, Father Fahey, died suddenly on Christmas Eve 2008. Father Fahey had been priest at St Patrick's since 1986 and celebrated more than half a century in the priesthood, all of it serving in south Wales. He had arrived after graduating in theology from his native Ireland and served first on the St Bridget's parish in Cardiff in 1955, before posts in Penarth and the valleys. Father Fahey took a leading role in governing St Patrick's School, serving as chairman and vice chairman. After his funeral in Cardiff in January, he was laid to rest back in Ireland.

£1m repair bill means new start for church

A landmark Grangetown church is to be replaced because parishoners face a "crippling" £1m repair and maintenance bill.

St Paul's aims to move from the Victorian church in Paget Street to a smaller, new building and hall, financed by selling off part of the site for development.

The idea was one of the options considered over the last year.

The 1890 gothic structure, which has in recent years been used as a location for an episode of Doctor Who, is a listed building. Demolition is not an option but grants are not available to upgrade the building, leaving the parish with a major headache.

Earlier this year, Father Ben Andrews revealed that fuel bills and running costs, as well as the cost of repairing the building left the church with a £1.3m long term bill and the need to look at "every avenue".

This week, he said the parish would work towards a "state-of-the-art place of worship fit to serve the developing needs of the community for generations to come".

Father Ben said he would be instructing the representative body of the Church in Wales to put St Paul's on the market and plans will begin for a new church and hall.

Until an expression of interest is received on the site, worship will continue as normal until a new church is built.

Fr Ben said:"St Paul's has been a much loved landmark in the community here in Grangetown for generations since it was opened in 1890, having been built on a grand and impressive scale commissioned and paid for by Lord Windsor.

"However, it has always been too big, cumbersome and difficult for the congregation to maintain.

"Times have changed hugely since its heyday and so have the needs of the wider community it serves. It was built to seat more than 500 people but today the congregation is about 100.

"The church is too big for us and too costly for us. We are looking to creative new ways to serve the community of today and want to put our money into effective ministry to people rather than into empty buildings."

Father Ben said Cardiff Bay was developing and the church is looking forward to being part of that development "in a way which appeals to its new needs without abandoning the old."

A building survey estimated that over the next 10 years at least £1m needs to be spent on repairs - £400,000 by 2010 to replace the roof; and a further £600,000 on the rest of the building.

As well as the repair costs, the annual costs for retaining the building are estimated to be £20,000 a year in addition to the ministry costs of £40,000 a year. Father Ben said: "These sums would cripple the church community; meanwhile the building would continue to be a constant burden for future generations.

The church has looked at grants but said the sums available "do not stack up". Father Ben added: "Rather than be defeated by the building, we have decided to liberate ourselves of a problem that we neither need nor want. We very much hope that a new church can be built on the current hall site."

The Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Llandaff, Dr Barry Morgan, said the new church would mark an exciting chapter in the life of St Paul's. He said:"The church is about people, not about buildings. I am confident it will enable the congregation to build a stronger Christian presence in Cardiff's fastest growing area and better serve the needs of the whole community."

In a letter to parishoners, the Archbishop added: "This is just to say that you are in my thoughts and prayers. I realize how enormously difficult it is to have to decide to close a church building. I once, as rector of a parish, had to close five buildings in it (we had 12). Once a decision is made, however, and you settle on what you want to do, everything becomes clearer and the church is actually strengthened. Be sure of my support and may God bless you as you tackle these difficult issues."