Woodlands House: Current position

We have been discussing the state of the property with local residents for a number of years. We supported plans in 2002 to demolish the old house and build houses on the site. Unfortunately CADW decided to list the House believing it to be an early 19th century Welsh Manor House.

Recently however we have been contacted by the architects of the developer who has uncovered new information on the house. Apparently, CADW relied on inaccurate information in a book from the Victorian period about Mansion Houses in the Area. In the book, the Woodlands House is mistaken for the Malpas House that was sited at the old TA site (Now Llewellyn Grove).

Before the mid 1800s there was nothing but a small dwelling on the Woodlands site. The rules on Listing say that discretion can be applied to buildings after this period as so many were built in the Late Victorian period.

The Malpas Three believe that this is not a building with any merit and should be removed. It is in a desperate state of disrepair and renovation would be completely impossible financially.

We have long considered that the power of CADW to list buildings without any responsibilities to ensure that funding is available to maintain them should be changed. Beechwood House has cost the local taxpayer millions to support without any possibilities of development taking place.

We have therefore requested that our Planning Dept. do not agree to the listing of the building now that we are in a position to allow development of the site

Archive: Newsletter to residents in July 2002

We are concerned about the continuing deterioration of Woodlands House and the eyesore and health risk it presents to the residents of the area.
We would like the house to be removed from the current Cadw, Grade II list to allow it to be developed. If successful we will obviously ensure that residents are fully consulted before any future development takes place.

Meanwhile we would like like you to write to Cadw to ask them to de-list the building.
The enclosed letter is a suggestion you may wish to use or amend. We have written a joint letter as councillors but we find that individual responses from residents are always more effective than petitions.

Write to CADW, Welsh Historic Monuments, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ. (Tel: 02920 050 0200, Email: cadw@wales.GSI.gov.uk)