Friends of the Earth Cardiff Cyfeillion y Ddaear Caerdydd

Security gates blocking access to Llanishen Reservoir. Photo: Chris Brown. Cardiff Friends of the Earth

The public inquiry for Western Power Distribution's (WPD) second planning application do develop housing on part of Llanishen Reservoir was originally scheduled to start on 31st October 2006. However, we received a letter from the Welsh Assembly Government Planning Inspectorate at the beginning of September telling us that WPD's third application (slightly amended) has now been referred to the National Assembly and that therefore they have decided to cancel the inquiry, and presumably schedule another one to consider both application sometime in 2007.

We thought the inquiry had been canceled, but last week WPD lodged an objection to the cancellation and has insisted that the inquiry into their second planning application should go ahead. The Planning Inspectorate, quite reasonably, refused to do this claiming that having two separate inquiries would be a waste of public resources. Now WPD have taken them to court. We expect a judicial review of the Planning Inspectorate's decision this Wednesday (20th September). If WPD are successful, the inquiry will go ahead as originally planned.

We think that WPD want multiple inquiries as they believe that the objecto''s financial resources will be completely exhausted by fighting the first inquiry, and that they will be able to fight any subsequent inquiry without much opposition. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Whilst all this is going on WPD's Fourth Application (again only slightly amended) is still in front of the Council. We believe that this might come up at the Planning Meeting on 18th October. WPD are hoping that this application will be approved by the Council.

Cardiff Friends of the Earth believe that any planning development on Llanishen Reservoir is completely unacceptable.

For more information on the campaign visit the Llannishen Reservoir Action Group website.