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Plans for two huge car parks in Cardiff Bay have sparked fears of traffic chaos and pollution in the area.

The owner of Mermaid Quay in Cardiff Bay wants to double the size of its multi-storey car park in Stuart Street by adding two more levels which would increase the number of spaces from 372 to 682.

Meanwhile another multi-storey car park for 2,000 vehicles is part of plans to build a new indoor arena on the site of the Red Dragon Centre.

(Image: Google Earth)

A lung disease charity has criticised plans for the two car parks, saying they "do nothing to prove the council is committed to alternative travel".

But Cardiff Council has said the multi-storey car park proposed at the Red Dragon Centre would make up for the amount of spaces lost to the proposed 15,000-capacity indoor arena.

A spokesman for the British Lung Foundation in Wales said: "These plans unequivocally contradict the council's commitment to modal shift and improving air quality.

"These plans unequivocally contradict the council's commitment to modal shift and improving air quality.

"Allowing the plans to go ahead would be a major step back in our journey to cleaner air: with more cars on the road, increased congestion and consequently higher concentrations of air pollution.

"The focus needs to be on improving public transport infrastructure to encourage sustainable travel in and out of the bay area. We urge the council to reconsider these projects this time putting public health at the forefront of their decision-making."

(Image: Commons)

Councillor Saeed Ebrahim has started a petition against the proposed expansion of Mermaid Quay car park - citing concerns over traffic, noise, air pollution and that the development would overshadow nearby homes.

He said: "It's going to be chaos. There has to be limits to what residents can cope with. I can understand Cardiff Bay is a tourist destination but we have trains, buses and bikes to get there.

"There's a clear agenda in Cardiff council to make people use buses, trains and bikes more. That's where we should be heading.

"The indoor arena car park is in a non-residential area, but the Mermaid Quay car park would overlook a whole estate. It's right next to a primary school."

Mr Ebrahim said the health of hundreds of children who attend primary schools near the car park could be at risk due to the extra pollution.

The £500million plans for the area also includes 50,000 sq ft of restaurants and bars, 200,000 sq ft of retail space, 45,000 sq ft of leisure space, apartments and a cinema screen complex. Cardiff council could also relocate its County Hall headquarters to free up space for the development.

A spokesman for Cardiff Council said: "The planning application for the extension to the car park in Mermaid Quay is a live application and is yet to be determined, so it would be inappropriate to comment at this stage.

"All planning applications are judged on their merit, based on planning policy and law and all objections to any planning application are considered in line with this process.

"In relation to the proposal of building a new multi-storey car park for the Indoor Arena development, this proposal is largely to consolidate the existing surface car parking into one smaller location to free up land for development.

"The Atlantic Wharf site has been chosen by the Council as the preferred location for the new arena because it will help to enhance Cardiff Bay's position as a leading UK visitor and leisure destination.

"In doing so, it will improve the business case for government investment to improve transport infrastructure in the area including the completion of the Eastern Bay Link Road as well as providing the commercial basis for improved public transport provision between the city centre and the Bay."

Mermaid Quay says the design of its new car park would look to provide privacy for residents, and a number of specialist reports concluded the development would have a minimal impact on pollution and traffic.

A spokeswoman for Mermaid Quay said: "Our car park provides parking for visitors to the waterfront, including Mermaid Quay, and the wider Cardiff Bay area attractions, including Techniquest, the Wales Millennium Centre and Roald Dahl Plass. It is well used and often reaches capacity.

"More parking is needed in the Bay to meet growing demand, both as a result of improvements at Mermaid Quay and the council's ambitious plans for further leisure uses including the new Arena. We believe that one of the sustainable ways to deliver the additional parking that the Bay needs is to use an existing car park site more intensively rather than developing other sites."