Work on controversial sewage pumping station in Cardiff park to begin within days

The work is expected to last 18 months

We have more newsletters

Work on a controversial sewage pumping station in a Cardiff park will begin in a matter of days. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has announced that it will be starting work on the development in Hailey Park, Llandaff North, on September 11.

The not-for-profit company, which supplies drinking water and wastewater services to most of Wales, has sent a letter to residents informing them of the start date and details of the upcoming works. It said it expects to complete the work within 18 months as long as "everything goes to plan".

The pumping station is being installed to deal with excess waste from the Plasdwr housing development that's being built in north west Cardiff. Welsh Water needs to pass this excess sewage directly into one of its existing trunk sewers which carries the waste to Cardiff Wastewater Treatment Works located in Rover Way.

Read more: Cardiff protest opposing house demolition turns violent as demonstrator punched repeatedly

It said it needs to connect a sewer pipe running from Danescourt to a point on the other side of the River Taff. Hailey Park has been chosen as this connection point and as it is low-lying land the wastewater needs to be pumped up into the network – hence the need for the sewage pumping station.

The proposal has been criticised by locals ever since the planning application was publicised in November 2021. Local residents, community groups, park users, councillors, and politicians have objected with concerns ranging from potential bad smells and noises from the facility to the impact upon biodiversity and disruption from the construction works.

Campaigners have also argued the facility should be built at Plasdwr itself and claimed that other options not involving Hailey Park were previously proposed by the company and accepted by the council. Cardiff Council's planning committee approved the application despite a last-ditch effort from residents and campaigners to delay a decision.

The Llandaff North Residents' Association brought a legal challenge against Cardiff Council's decision to approve the development. They alleged the process leading to the decision was not done properly and a judicial review was held at the end of June but the association lost the legal challenge on all grounds.

Despite the ruling the campaigners vowed to continue their fight against the development. Meanwhile Welsh Water said it has "a legal obligation to support new housing developments whilst ensuring the services that we provide our existing customers are not impacted".

It added: "That's why we’ve been working closely with the local authority and the developer to ensure the Cardiff wastewater network has the capacity to continue to serve the wider community." You can the full details about the plans and the controversy surrounding them here.

Here is the latest update from Welsh Water.

Welsh Water will set up a main compound within the area where the pumping station will be built. The compound will store all machinery and materials for the project as well as welfare facilities for contractors while construction is under way. "As such [it] will appear significantly larger than what the completed pumping station will look like once the work is finished," Welsh Water has said.

The company said it has been "working closely" with the council "to ensure the park remains a safe place for people to enjoy" during the construction. It added that the completed pumping station will not affect the provision of the two rugby pitches on the parkland but "for public safety there will be some restrictions on the use of one of the pitches during construction."

There will also be construction traffic travelling to and from the site "on a regular basis" via Ty Mawr Road, Whitchurch Road, and Velindre Road. Welsh Water has said the amount of traffic will vary depending on construction activities but will do its best to "keep disruption to a minimum wherever possible".

Welsh Water has proposed the following timeline for the works but has said this could change depending on factors such as the weather.

1. September 11 until end of October 2023: Site establishment

The first six weeks of the works will be focused on setting up the area so the work can be carried out safely, Welsh Water has said. This will involve clearing some vegetation and making temporary adjustments to the access gates so park users can continue to access the park safely.

2. October 2023 until October 2024: Tunnelling activity

3. October 2024 until April 2025: Pumping station work

4. January 2025 onwards: Reinstatement period

During the reinstatement period the site compound will be demobilised and trees, shrubs, and wildflower seeding will be planted. "But how long this will take will depend on the weather conditions at the time to give the vegetation the best opportunity to grow," Welsh Water added.

There is a second site associated with the development. It's located on the other side of the River Taff and across the Cardiff to Radyr Railway line nearly 0.5km south west from the principal site in Hailey Park.

An actuation valve control kiosk will be built at De Braose Close in the Danescourt area of Llandaff upon overgrown scrubland adjacent to the eastern pedestrian path. This site is where the existing sewer system west of the River Taff will be diverted to run northeast below the River Taff to the pumping station and connecting to the system at Ty Mawr Road.

Welsh Water has already constructed a stone track, which took three weeks to build, from the end of De Braose Close into the working area (which is by River Taff and the railway line) to carry out investigatory work.

To minimise disruption they have left the access track in place in anticipation for the rest of the work but it will be removed and the area will be reinstated to its original state once the project is completed. The timeline for the work at De Braose Place, which is also expected to last 18 months, is as follows:

1. September 14 until end of October 2023: Site establishment

2. October 2023 until October 2024: Tunnelling activity

3. October 2024 until January 2025: Engineering work

4. November 2024 onwards: Reinstatement period

As with the reinstatement work in Hailey Park the site compound will be demobilised and trees, shrubs, and wildflower seeding will be planted but how long this will take will depend on weather conditions at the time.

Ahead of the commencement of the works Welsh Water has issued the following key messages:

The company will be hosting public information events from 4pm to 7pm on September 4 at Danescourt Primary School and on September 7 at Llandaff North and Gabalfa Hub. It has also launched a £10,000 community fund with the grant available to local community groups or organisations "as a way of thanking them for bearing with us while we carry out our work". You can find out more how to apply on Welsh Water's website.