Concern over plans to replace free hospital park and ride with AI data centre

Plans to replace a free hospital park and ride with a data centre have been criticised.

A proposal has been submitted to Cardiff council to replace the Cardiff East Park and Ride in Llanrumney with the centre, which would support services including artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Tenants' union Acorn has called for the plans to be thrown out, saying it would create "complete chaos" for people trying to get to hospital.

Curtis Hall Limited, which submitted the plans, said it was committed to working "constructively" with the city council and Cardiff and Vale health board to deliver a "long-term solution".

The health board currently provides a free park and ride service for about 1,000 cars from Cardiff East to University Hospital of Wales for staff, patients and visitors.

The application to replace it said data centres such as these were "an essential part of the national infrastructure, supporting cloud computing, AI, digital services and secure data storage".

Dan Snipe, 29, from Acorn, said the park and ride service was a "lifeline" for people.

"If it's taken away, it's going to be complete chaos for a lot of people's lives", he added.

Resident Hannah Dahwa, 40, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The concern is that this would reduce their wellbeing and health."

Cai Parry-Jones, Member of Senedd for Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf, where the park and ride is located, said it has become "an essential part of access to healthcare" for many constituents.

"I believe it's wrong to take that access away from our residents and our communities, especially with so much new development in the city."

Ben Hall, a director at Curtis Hall Limited, said the council had "brought the site forward for redevelopment due to the closure of the park and ride site due to its loss of funding and under-utilisation relative to the substantial cost of operating it".

Hall said the company recognised concerns raised about access to the hospital, but that the health board was "best placed" to address those concerns.

He added that the project would deliver new transport infrastructure, including a new bridge and link road for pedestrians and cyclists - plans that are under consideration by Cardiff council.

The council said it was working with the health board to identify an alternative park and ride site if this development is approved.

The health board added: "Subject to planning approval, it is anticipated that the existing park and ride site will remain operational until the end of 2026.

"Discussions are also ongoing with partners to explore interim arrangements while a longer-term solution is agreed."