Welcome to the last update of the week from Cardiff Council, covering: Bayside MVC first dose walk-ins every weekend; vaccination totals for Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan; Cardiff's COVID-19 case and test numbers; two Lanes on Castle Street to re-open to general traffic; Cardiff calls on UK Government to back city's COVID recovery plans; North West Transport Corridor plans revealed; and a £25m Coastal Protection Scheme for Cardiff revealed.

Bayside MVC First Dose Walk-ins Every Weekend

First dose walk-in clinics are now being held every weekend at Bayside Mass Vaccination Centre.

Turn up on a Saturday or Sunday between 8am-4pm, if you have not yet received the first dose of your COVID-19 Vaccine, are aged 18 or over and live and/or work in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Please bring ID and proof of home address or workplace.

Cardiff & Vale University Health Board Vaccination Status Update - 11 June

The total number of vaccination doses given by the Cardiff & Vale University Health Board so far, in both local authority areas:  528,951 (1^stDose: 347,303 2^ndDose: 181,637)

• 80 and over: 20,980 / 94.4% (1^stDose) 20,107 / 90.4% (2^ndDose)
• 75-79: 15,093 / 96% (1^stDose) 14,606 / 92.9% (2^ndDose)
• 70-74: 21,462 / 95.4% (1^stDose) 21,093 / 93.8% (2^ndDose)
• 65-69: 21,843 / 93.6% (1^stDose) 20,876 / 89.5% (2^ndDose)
• 60-64: 25,869 / 91.6% (1^stDose) 24,729 / 87.6% (2^ndDose)
• 55-59: 29,113 / 89.4% (1^stDose) 18,839 / 57.9% (2^ndDose)
• 50-54: 28,604 / 86.7% (1^stDose) 13,508 / 40.9% (2^ndDose)
• 40-49: 53,644 / 79.5% (1^stDose) 20,283 / 30% (2^ndDose)
• 30-39: 56,454 / 71.1% (1^stDose) 14,033 / 17.7% (2^ndDose)
• 18-29: 70,384 / 69.5% (1^stDose) 12,973 / 12.8% (2^ndDose)

• Care home residents: 1,977 / 98% (1^stDose) 1,919 / 95.1% (2^ndDose)
• Clinically extremely vulnerable: 11,288 / 93.2% (1^stDose) 10,708 / 88.4% (2^ndDose)
• Underlying Health Conditions: 45,486 / 88.3% (1^stDose) 37,042 / 71.9% (2^ndDose)

Data provided by CAVUHB

Based on the figures available at the time of publication. Please note that there may be minor amendments to data as it is validated over time.

Cardiff Cases and Tests - 7 Days Data (31 May - 06 June)

Based on latest figures from Public Health Wales

Data correct as of:

10 June 2021, 09:00

Cases: 51

Cases per 100,000 population: 13.9 (Wales: 13.5 cases per 100,000 population)

Testing episodes: 3,572

Testing per 100,000 population: 973.6

Positive proportion: 1.4% (Wales: 1.4% positive proportion)

Two Lanes on Castle Street to re-open to general traffic

Cardiff's Castle Street looks set to reopen to general traffic in the autumn as soon as necessary road works, road markings, and signage have been put in place to make it safe.

A recommendation to reopen the street, which was closed to help food and drink businesses remain viable during the height of the pandemic last year, will be brought before Cardiff Council's Cabinet at its next meeting on Thursday, June17. It follows a consultation offering the public two options:

1. To allow general traffic to use the street;

2. To allow only buses, taxis and cyclists to use the street.

More than 6,227 people took part in the consultation with 53.8% believing there was a considerable benefit to reopening the road to general traffic, while 33.8% believed it was a considerable benefit to keep general traffic off the road.

In order to meet a legally-binding requirement to lower pollution on the street to acceptable limits, Castle Street will be limited to one lane of traffic in either direction for all motor vehicles. The two-way cycleway and the dedicated bus lane westbound will remain to ensure legal pollution limits are not exceeded. This represents the Council's original plan for the road as set out in the Transport Strategy published in January 2020.

Once the road is open to general traffic, further traffic-flow modelling will take place. This modelling will allow the council to make an up-to-date assessment of air pollution across the city centre as commuters return to work and visitor numbers return to normal after the pandemic. The impact of opening the route to private cars, on both Castle Street and the surrounding areas, will also be monitored. This fresh data on post-pandemic traffic flows will then be used to inform plans to further reduce air pollution and congestion in the city.

Cllr Caro Wild, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, said: "Congestion and air-quality levels remain a major concern for residents. Whilst air quality is generally improving across the city, we share concerns that localised traffic congestion can cause issues in central residential areas. This is something we want to get more data about especially as things begin to return to normal and traffic numbers increase.

"The delay in implementing a more permanent layout will allow us to carry out further traffic assessments. This will give us real time, up-to-date data on traffic flows post-pandemic, as commuters and visitors return to the city. We need to understand if the switch to home-working and the rises in active travel numbers which we have seen will have a long-term effect on traffic flows.

"Many of us have become used to less traffic during the pandemic and used to the cleaner air and health benefits that brings. I don't think any of us want to return to a traffic-congested city any time soon, which is why, we are committed to investing in walking and cycling routes and in cleaner, quicker and easily accessible public transport options. We are also committed to our plans for the South Wales Metro and looking into ways to fund new routes and stations, including continuing our feasibility work around road user charging."

Cardiff calls on UK Government to back city's COVID recovery plans

Delivering a New York-style ‘Highline' connection joining Cardiff city centre to the Bay, restoring Cardiff Market's Victorian grandeur and creating a new Youth Zone in Ely are just three of the projects Cardiff Council is developing as part of the UK Government's ‘Levelling Up' programme.

The programme is calling on councils to place bids for the first-round of its four-year, £4.8bn Levelling-Up Fund, designed to kick-start projects and help areas across the UK revive after the pandemic.

Local authorities can bid for money for one project per parliamentary constituency, plus one other transport-related project. This means Cardiff can bid for up to five projects in total covering Cardiff Central, Cardiff South and Penarth, Cardiff West, Cardiff North, and the additional transport project.

A report to Cardiff Council's Cabinet on Thursday, June 17, will recommend that the Council bids for money for the following projects:

• The ‘Highline' connection between the city centre and Cardiff Bay (Transport bid);
• The restoration of Cardiff Market (Cardiff Central);
• Delivering a new ‘Youth Zone' for Ely (Cardiff West);
• The Taff River Corridor project - opening up Cardiff's waterfront (Cardiff South and Penarth);
• A new nature-focussed visitor attraction at Forest Farm (Cardiff North).

If approved by Cabinet the Cardiff Market bid will go forward for round one of the fund bids. More detailed development work will then be carried out on the other projects before submission in later funding rounds.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: "We are calling on UK Government to back these proposals. We have been working on several ideas in the background for some time and this opportunity to secure investment could help us kick start these projects, bringing jobs and delivering a vital boost to the city as we look to renew and revitalise Cardiff and begin our recovery from the effects of the pandemic. These are schemes which could really help communities and businesses across the city. UK Government has already recognised that Cardiff is a Priority 1 area in need of levelling up, so it's vitally important they come on this journey with us and back these plans."

The first round of bids have to be submitted by June 18 and it is expected UK Government will make an announcement on successful bids later in the year.

North West Transport Corridor plans revealed

New plans designed to help connect and improve travel options for residents and commuters into Cardiff have been revealed.

The first stage of a Welsh Government study into the ‘North West Transport Corridor' - which runs from Rhondda Cynon Taff into the city centre via Talbot Green, Llantrisant, Plasdwr and Creigiau has been published.

Cardiff Council and RCT Council will now review the plans to investigate how they can best serve residents and commuters.

Included in the Welsh Government transport study (WelTAG) are a number of proposals designed to improve walking, cycling and public transport links with the wider city region by 2025.

These include:

• Increasing the number of services on the City Line to at least four trains an hour between Cardiff Central and Radyr;
• A new train station on the City Line at Ely Mill;
• Increasing the number of services on the South Wales Main Line, to improve services from Pontyclun;
• The delivery of Cardiff Parkway train station on the South Wales Main Line at Junction 34 off the M4 with a connecting train line enabling easier access to jobs west and east of the city;
• Improving the ability to swap travel modes from car to bus and or train, and to walking or cycling at train stations, transport hubs and park and ride services;
• Improving active travel, bus and rail interchange at Radyr train station on the City Line;
• A strategic bus park and ride service at Junction 33 off the M4 Motorway;
• A new Bus Rapid Transport route between central Cardiff and Junction 33 via Leckwith Road and the A4232;
• A bus gate and spur providing access from the A4232 (northbound and southbound) to Plasdwr;
• An active travel/bus and rail interchange at Waungron Park station on the City Line;
• A new Bus Rapid Transport route from Central Cardiff to Plasdwr via Cowbridge Road East, Waungron Park and Fairwater; and
• A new Bus Rapid Transport route from Junction 33 to Talbot Green via the A4119 with onward connections to housing in southern Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, Cllr Caro Wild said: "I'm delighted to see Welsh Government have taken on board many of the ideas identified in Cardiff's transport white paper. Like us they see the need to invest in public transport and active travel, as the city's population continues to grow.

"Welsh Government's WelTAG plan is only at an early stage, but it gives us the opportunity now to sit down with our colleagues at RCT Council to determine the best way forward for residents and commuters who are travelling in and out of Cardiff.

"Cardiff needs a public transport system which befits a growing capital city. Our White Paper laid out a clear route to delivering that system. Welsh Government's plans could help improve transport options into the city centre. It will create links to the new housing developments, which are delivering much-needed housing. It could also help deliver a greener, more sustainable and healthier future for our communities while reducing our reliance on the private car.

"Before the pandemic we all knew the rise in commuter numbers using cars was affecting the city, clogging up the roads at specific pinch points on the network, creating pollution and damaging our health. Now, we have the opportunity, working with our colleagues in Welsh Government, to link strategic sites in the north of the city with Cardiff city centre, and Rhonda Cynon Taf, making public transport a more viable and attractive option for both commuters and residents."

No formal decisions have been taken on what the routes or solutions will be, as the strategic options identified and short-listed will be assessed in future stages of the WelTAG process.  The long-term vision and aspiration is to deliver a rapid transit public transport solution that connects the communities along the North West Corridor into the wider South Wales Metro.

£25m Coastal Protection Scheme for Cardiff revealed

A multi-million pound flood defence designed to cope with a one-in-200-year storm, and rising sea levels caused by climate change, could be built to protect the south east of Cardiff.

Plans for the £25m coastal protection scheme, on the banks of the River Rhymney, have been released by Cardiff Council.

The new flood defence, which could be ready by 2023, will help:

• Manage flood risk to just under 1,200 properties;
• Prevent material from Lamby Way landfill site eroding into the sea;
• Protect key road infrastructure, a supermarket and the Rover Way Travellers site for the next 100 years.

Cabinet Member for Clean Streets, Recycling and Environment, Cllr Michael Michael, said: "The greatest risk to Cardiff right now is flooding and rising sea levels caused by climate change. Our flood defences along the foreshore by Rover Way are in a poor condition and only have a short-to-medium-term lifespan, so it's really important that action is taken now to safeguard this part of the city."

The scheme has been designed to ensure there is minimal impact on existing river and coastal foreshore habitats.

The proposals for the new defences include:

• Rock armour placed on the coastal foreshore on both sides of the river Rhymney;
• Raised and maintained sea defences along the river Rhymney;
• Raising of existing coastal defence embankments.
• Welsh Government will pay 85% of the cost of the scheme with Cardiff council making up the rest.

Cllr Michael added: "The coastal protection scheme will see 100,000 tonnes of rock used on the coastline, with the river bank behind being raised, as well as the embankments next to the highway. Steel sheeting will have to be drilled 12 metres into the bedrock of the river to retain the structure of the riverbank and the coastal path will then be built on top of the raised embankment, so that access along the river foreshore is maintained for the public to use. We hope all the work could be carried out by 2023 safeguarding homes, businesses and livelihoods for years to come."