Katie Powis takes up the newly created position of community liaison manager, reporting into Project Director, Wayne Rees of lead developer, Redrow Homes, and Mike Lawley of Cooke & Arkwright, who represents landowner, the Plymouth Estate.
Plasdŵr is described as a garden city for the 21st Century, inspired by the original garden city movement’s principles of “fresh air, sunlight, breathing room and playing room”. It is a key part of the economic development of the capital under Cardiff Council’s Local Development Plan and the vision is to create a “world-class, sustainable community where people can work, live and play”. Its 900 acres, bordering Fairwater, St Fagans, Danescourt and Radyr, will be 40% green space and offer up to 7000 homes as it takes shape gradually over the next 15 years.
There will also be four new primary schools and a comprehensive school, health and community facilities, shops, offices, pubs and restaurants, leisure centres, playing fields, parks and preserved woodland. Transport around Plasdŵr has been planned with walking, cycling and public transport as the easiest ways to get around.
“The success of Plasdŵr becoming a properly embedded, sustainable community - right from this first phase which sees development next to existing Cardiff suburbs and villages - absolutely depends on its relationships with those neighbouring communities,” said Wayne Rees.
“We have been increasingly developing those relationships since starting on site just over a year ago at Radyr then at St Fagans, and we feel this is the ideal time to be investing increasingly in developing them further. Katie’s depth of experience in working alongside significant, large-scale development projects and their neighbouring communities will really help us do that.”
Katie is looking forward to strengthening and broadening Plasdŵr’s existing relationships.
“I’ve already had some positive meetings and conversations, which is testament to Plasdŵr’s commitment to positive local relationships at this very early stage of development. This is a really exciting time to get involved with such a long-term project that really understands the value of relationships when creating a whole new community and place.”