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The row over the future of Llandaff Fields has intensified with campaigners opposed to plans for a new sport and community centre questioning Cardiff council’s impartiality.

An umbrella group which represents 32 sport and community organisations wants to build a new facility on the site of dilapidated changing rooms, close to an existing bowls pavilion.

Cardiff Civic Society strongly opposes the scheme – for which no planning application has been made – saying the council should reject it.

And last night the lobby group accused the local authority of bias, saying it had “exceeded its brief in its apparent enthusiasm and support” for the project.

The development has previously attracted vociferous opposition on the letters pages of the South Wales Echo.

The group question the authority’s role in determining the future of Llandaff Fields after uncovering more details about the project using the Freedom of Information Act.

Nerys Lloyd-Pierce, of the society, applied to receive all correspondence between Cardiff council, Clwb Rygbi (a lead partner in the project), and all key stakeholders including Cardiff Metropolitan University relating to the proposed development.

The result was 246 pages of mostly emails sent between 2011 and 2012 but which do not reveal who sent and received the correspondence.

The material includes many references to Cardiff council in connection with the project with one email from October 2011 claiming a meeting was held with council staff who “are completely on board” while another email, dated June 17, 2012, says a member of council staff was “genuinely excited” by the proposal.

See this external site to view old photographs of Llandaff fields and discover the history of its purchase by the old Cardiff Corporation in 1898.

It said: “He would like to see a number of different options which could be more contentious in their ambition in order to get our favoured scheme through.”

One email, dated June 17, 2012, in fact suggests that “some cash injection” will be made by the council and by Cardiff Metropolitan University as well as other sources.

Included in the material is a completed application form to the Big Lottery Fund dated October 2011 which requests an unspecified amount of funding for two years.

It says that such a grant would help with the building of the clubhouse, changing rooms and community complex.

It also says the lead partner of the project is Clwb Rygbi “in conjunction with Cardiff council” and that the application would have the “full administrative support and co-operation of Cardiff council.”

The form also alleges that the local authority can’t commit to maintaining the fields and is not in a position to replace “dangerous and dilapidated” buildings.

It claims that Clwb Rygbi was invited by the council to approach “like-minded sporting organisations” and cultural organisations to look at possibly accepting the responsibility of looking after the facility and developing a new centre there.

Nerys Lloyd-Pierce from Cardiff Civic Society said: “It would appear from these documents that Cardiff council has exceeded its brief in its apparent enthusiasm and support for this project.

“The council’s role in apparently backing this project should be fully investigated.”

She also claimed that groups like Cardiff Rivers Group and Pedal Power, who are mentioned in the material as being in support of Llandaff Fields Trust’s proposal, have now withdrawn their support.

The documents also show how the plans for the centre have changed over the course of time.

There is also correspondence about the building having a bar but that this would only open when events or functions are being held.

Emails also talk about the possibility of half of the existing tennis courts being developed into a covered basketball, netball and examinations hall and the possibility of classrooms and a 3G pitch.

But the email also says: “Nothing has been agreed, signed off or confirmed.”

Cardiff Metropolitan University confirmed to Wales Online that it is a member of the not-for-profit Llandaff Fields Trust and that a member of its staff has been involved in an advisory role.

A university spokeswoman said the Trust has been “liaising” with the council and is currently working to develop a number of options yet to be finalised before going to public consultation.

But she said no commitments have yet been made by the university in respect of capital or revenue support for the Trust.

Martyn Williams, president of Clwb Rygbi, said: “The proposals are being looked at, re-examined and altered and will bear little resemblance to those in the public domain. We are still in consultation with a variety of interested parties

“A number of the elements are no longer applicable and maybe some new elements are involved.

“When we’re ready, we’ll go into public consultation. When that will be, in this economic climate, I don’t know. We will engage when we’re in a position to do so through a public consultation.”

A spokeswoman for the authority said: “It is common practice for the sports development service to offer advice on the formation of sports trusts and grant applications which are available to the city’s sporting community.

“However, the council does not have membership of the Trust and during meetings with the clubs no view has been offered one way or another on the merits of any scheme other than to outline the requirements and procedures of any future planning applications that would need to be met, the planning polices that apply and issues that might arise if an application was to be made.

“No planning application or informal plans have been submitted to the planning authority and as Llandaff Fields is public open space land, any development proposal would have to be the subject of a full public consultation, in regard to the council ownership of the land as well as under the planning process.”