Gabalfa

Education

Primary

Gabalfa has three primary schools, with a combined attendance of more than 720:

• St. Joseph's (Roman Catholic) Primary School
• Allensbank Primary School
• Ysgol Mynydd Bychan ('Heath School' in Welsh), which teaches in the Welsh medium

Gabalfa Primary School is not within modern Gabalfa but in neighbouring Llandaff North.

High School

Gabalfa has one comprehensive school, Cathays High School, with around 900 students (mainly from outside Gabalfa).

University

Gabalfa has a high student population. There are several halls of residence for Cardiff University in the area, housing about 3,100 students, some 10% of the student body. Liberty House serves mainly medical and nursing students at the nearly University Hospital of Wales. In addition, many students live in privately rented accommodation in the area.

Places of worship

Churches in Gabalfa include St Mark's on North Road (Church in Wales), St Joseph's on New Zealand Road (Roman Catholic), and the All Nations Church on Eastern Avenue (Ministries Without Borders, co-located with the All Nations Centre).

Politics

The electoral ward of Gabalfa lies within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff North, which has been represented since 2017 by Welsh Labour MP Anna McMorrin. In the Senedd, Cardiff North is represented by Welsh Labour MS Julie Morgan.

There is no community council for the area.

Gabalfa was served by two Cardiff councillors: Ed Bridges (Liberal Democrat), elected in 2004, and Gareth Holden, elected in 2012. Holden was elected as a Liberal Democrat but resigned from the party in 2013. He lost to a Liberal Democrat candidate in the May 2017 election. The ward is currently served by Rhys Taylor and Ashley Wood (2019).

Gabalfa is bounded by Birchgrove and Heath to the north, Cathays and Maindy to the south, and Llandaff North to the northwest.

Transport

The area is known for the Gabalfa Interchange (or Gabalfa flyover), where the A48 Eastern Avenue, A470 North Road, and A469 Whitchurch Road (south)/Caerphilly Road (north) meet. The interchange is known for its suicides and suicide attempts, although efforts have been made to improve this, with signs to suicide prevention charities now clearly visible on the pedestrian bridge over Eastern Avenue.

Bus

Cardiff Bus' service 35 bus circles the area before heading to Cardiff Bay via Cathays and Central station. Services 1/2 Bay Circle run along Western Avenue towards Heath or Llandaff. Additionally, the following services stop at the Gabalfa Interchange:

• 8 (University Hospital of Wales) or (Cathays-Roath-Central Station-Grangetown-Cardiff Bay)
• 9 (University Hospital of Wales) or (International Sports Village)
• 21 (Rhiwbina-Coryton-Whitchurch) or (Central Stn)
• 23 (Whitchurch-Coryton-Rhiwbina) or (Central Stn)
• 24 (Whitchurch-Llandaff North-Pontcanna-Llandaff)
• 25 (Central Stn)
• 27 Capital City Green (Heath-Birchgrove-Thornhill) or (Central Stn)
• 35 (Gabalfa) or (Cathays-Central Stn-Cardiff Bay)

Rail

There are no railway stations located within Gabalfa, although a new railway station serving the ward was proposed by the County Council in 2000. The nearest railway stations are Heath Low Level and Heath High Level to the north-west, Cathays to the south and Llandaf to the north-east.

Walking and cycling

The Taff Trail, a long-distance footpath and cycle route that runs along the River Taff, is connected to Gabalfa by Llys Tal-y-Bont Road.

In 2023, a new cycle path was completed along Allensbank Road on the edge of Gabalfa, as part of Cardiff's Cycleway 1. To promote cycling and improve safety, in recent years councillors and residents have campaigned with some success for traffic calming measures, such as Gabalfa becoming a 20 mph zone, raised crossings being installed, and curbs being narrowed.

Gabalfa is within a 30-minute walk or a 10-minute cycle of the city centre.

Gallery

File:Africa Gardens, Gabalfa - geograph.org.uk - 827176.jpg|Africa Gardens File:Gabalfa flyover, Cardiff.jpg|Part of the Gabalfa Interchange and flyover File:Subway under Gabalfa Interchange, Cardiff.jpg|Subway under Gabalfa Interchange

References

References

1. "Ward population 2011".
2. "Gabalfa". [[BBC Wales]].
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4. "St Joseph's R.C. Primary School, Cardiff".
5. "St Joseph's R.C. Primary School {{!}} Estyn".
6. "Allensbank Primary School {{!}} Estyn".
7. (2019-08-21). "Ysgol Mynydd Bychan".
8. (2019-08-21). "Cathays High School".
9. (2013-02-01). "A report on Cathays High School".
10. "Talybont North".
11. "Talybont South".
12. "Talybont Gate".
13. "Talybont Court".
14. "Liberty House".
15. "Who we are".
16. "Contact Detail".
17. Peter Law. (21 January 2013). "Lib Dem councillor leaves party in anger at coalition government". Wales Online.
18. Melville-Smith, Alicia. (2015-08-03). "Major Cardiff road reopens after man dies falling from flyover".
19. (2015-08-03). "Body of a man discovered on A48 Western Avenue in Cardiff".
20. "Routes & Maps - Cardiff Bus".
21. (2000-08-01). "Cardiff County Council - Local Transport Plan 2000-2016". [[Cardiff County Council]].
22. Peskett, Ted. (2022-09-16). "Council defends cycle lane roadworks after complaints".
23. Gregory, Rhys. (2023-06-27). "New Cardiff cycle path hailed a game changer by residents".
24. (2019-08-21). "Clodien Avenue Area Traffic Calming".
25. (2019-08-21). "Whichurch Road/ Flaxland Avenue Pedestrian Crossing Facilities".