Almost two years after the first residents moved into their Plasdŵr homes in autumn 2017, over 100 homes are now occupied across the Parc Plymouth and Cae St Fagans developments.
Nathan and Shakira Leslie, both 32 from Cardiff, moved into their home at Parc Plymouth in June. Here’s what Nathan had to say about why they bought a house at Plasdŵr.
“My wife and I are both from Cardiff, I grew up in Riverside and Shakira is from the Bay, so we know the city well. Our last house was in Fairwater to the south of Plasdŵr, so we were aware of the development before we decided to move. My opinion of Plasdŵr has always been that Cardiff needs more homes, and the north west of the city is a natural place to build them.
“The decision to move from Fairwater was mostly down to our children – our four-year-old daughter Siena and one-year-old son, Ezekiel. We wanted to find the ‘forever home’ they would grow up in and we have family in north west Cardiff, so when we saw homes go on sale at Parc Plymouth, we decided to have a look. We’ve been in our home for two months now and we love it here, it’s exceeded all our expectations.
“A few things about the Plasdŵr masterplan stood out to us as being huge pluses. The first was the focus on green space, being able to leave the house and walk to a park or woodland will be fantastic for us and the kids as they get older. From looking at the plans, there will be a wealth of parks, playgrounds and woodland for us to visit without having to get in the car and drive for miles. As they get older, we liked the idea that the kids will be able to visit these places with their friends on foot or by bike.
“The emphasis on walking and cycling was also really appealing for us, we liked that Plasdŵr has been planned with fewer roads and more foot and cycle paths. Our hope is that fewer roads will mean better air quality and safer streets for the children to play outside. Personally, I’m also looking forward to the new cycle routes into the city being completed. I make the 20-minute cycle to work in the city centre every day because it’s cost-effective, helps me to stay active and it’s a real stress reliever. Being connected to a network of cycle routes – both within Plasdŵr and into Cardiff – was really appealing to me.
“The new facilities were also a draw for us. We’ve moved into Plasdŵr at an early stage so we know these things will take time, but we’re looking forward to things like the district centre and the schools. By the time Siena and Ezekiel are high school age, they could be going to the Plasdŵr secondary school with other children who live nearby. As more people move in, one of the big things we’re looking forward to being part of a community and we can already see that starting to take shape.”