April 21

 Cardiff  by sea

The biggest and most successful development in Cardiff over my lifetime has been the Cardiff Bay barrage. It has transformed old Cardiff from an attractive city although scarred by smoke belching steel plants into one of Britain’s most attractive cities.

I realised this again yesterday when I drove my scooter from Penarth across it to Cardiff.

From Penarth seafront I drove up to the town centre, past St Augustine’s church, a prominent landmark, and down to the Penarth Marina - once a flourishing dock, onto the barrage.

The old Cardiff was by the sea but it was certainly not a seaside town, No beach, deck chairs or holiday attractions.

It was a busy port, like the much smaller one in Penarth.

When I was a child, the interesting part of the waterfront was the pontoon from which the family set sail for days-out on the paddle steamer, the Cardiff Queen.

Today, Cardiff Bay is a bustling resort, complete with the obligatory big wheel, boat trips, restaurants and cafes, dozens of them.

Beside the imposing red brick Pierhead building, built in 1897 as headquarters of the Bute Dock Company. is the modest sized elegant glass Welsh parliament building, the Senedd, open to everyone, for years a favourite coffee stop for Rosemary and me.

I stopped at the waters edge, watching. dozens of yachts skimming over the water and the mini ferries taking trippers across the bay to Penarth Marina. 

It was not always so. For many years the Taff and Ely rivers had created a problem for the city,  flooding.

When I was with Cardiff city council serious flooding was a regular feature with the area bordering  the castle and Bute Park worst affected. I used to be in the team dealing with the regular emergencies.

The idea of a barrage met vigorous opposition including from local residents who claimed it would make matters worse, and there were opponents worried about the danger to the rich, prolific wild life in the estuary.

One of the objectors was local city council member Rhodri Morgan, later to be the First Minister.

The five year, £220million  project by the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation involved creating locks, bridges and sluice gates across 1.1km, creating a one mile road between Penarth,and Cardiff.

It was an example of cross party partnership bewteen the city and South Glamorgan.

The result has exceeded expectations, more than meeting its main purpose.

Its massive, complicated machinery controls the flow of water from the Bristol Channel - the second highest tide in the world.

It has managed to satisfy most of the concerns of the environmentalists by providing conservation areas and a facility for salmon to swim upstream, impossible in  the days of the mines and steelworks.

I thought of all this as I sat in the park half way between Penarth and Cardiff, watching children at play by the sheltered waterside and people at the cafes.

Thanks to the barrage Cardiff today compares favourably with many seaside cities throughout the world.

The gorgeous view of our capital with its steadily growing skyline of tall buildings and the iconic rugby stadium to the north across the bay reminds me of many I have seen, including, most spectacularly, the view of Toronto city from its lovely small island

The barrage has done Cardiff proud. 

I am more proud of it than ever.

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That was confirmed yesterday when I drove  on my scooter into Cardiff via the magnificent Picturesque route. I drive ufrom Penarth seafront up to town, climbed past St Augustine’s church that dominates the skyline and down to the Penarth Marina.

Then, on a lovely sunny morning I leisurely crossed the barrage onto the footpath and the mile or so into  bustling Cardiff Bay.

Hundreds of others were enjoying the vista of Cardiff, looking every bit  capital city with thee,egant bbuildinds, some in the city centre almost skyscrapers.

It matched, and even bettered some of the many cities I have seen around the world, reminding me especially of zToronto viewed from its Isla d 

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The view 

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