Locals in a city suburb are at their wit’s end as a film crew has brought “absolute chaos” to their doorstep.
The production team, which includes US-based Plan B Entertainment and Cardiff’s Good Gate Media, has been filming H Is For Hawk in various Welsh locations since November 7.
The latest location, Plasturton Avenue in Pontcanna, has been particularly affected since filming began on December 2.
The crew’s takeover of resident permit parking bays and multiple nearby streets has resulted in residents being barred from parking outside their own homes. To add insult to injury, they’ve been threatened with car clamping or removal by production staff if they don’t comply.
One resident, who wished not to be named, living on Plasturton Avenue claimed they had a tense interaction with a security team member from the production company when he attempted to park outside his own home.
He told WalesOnline: “I went out to ask if they could remove the cones so I could park my car but they refused. I have a young child and I need to park close to my house.
“I moved the cones myself to park in front of my house and the security guard said to me ‘well see what happens to your car in the morning.’ I asked if that was a threat and he said it wasn’t, but it felt like one.”
Cardiff council has officially greenlit a production company to set up camp in Pontcanna, including filming at a property and snagging some parking spots nearby.
According to the council’s spokesperson: “The filming in Pontcanna has been authorised by the council, and the production company has kept residents informed through a letter drop to their properties.”
One local from Plasturton Street vented to WalesOnline about the parking dilemma, recognising that although the production crew have secured a permit, the locals are entitled to their usual parking privileges.
They said: “I know that they’ve paid the council, but so have we. so we deserve to park closer to our homes so that it is safer for us.
“I spoke to the production manager who told me that they were not putting cones in parking spaces but I was looking right at them. But after I told him that their vehicles were also ruining the grass verge by parking along it, no cars have been parked there since, which is good.”
However, they expressed further discontent, saying: “We have had other things filmed here but this has by far been the worst company that we’ve had. And they will be here for another two weeks. We had a letter through the door a few days before they came but I think residents should have been consulted with.”
The resident lamented how last weekend’s filming escalated the situation, with production vehicles crammed into the streets. Plasturton Gardens has become an impromptu car park for the crew, swarming with vans and eating up green space though locals can still access the gardens.
The resident’s neighbour had no choice but to park on a distant street, facing a walk back alone at night with her young children in tow. When speaking to the security guard, the resident claimed that they couldn’t explain why the cones were blocking the spaces.
Another resident claimed that the cones would be left in the spaces for hours. Although one resident claimed that the production team had threatened that their car would be clamped and removed, many residents have been moving the cones to enable them to park near their homes.
Amidst claims that cones were lingering empty for hours and threats of clamping from the production team, exasperated residents have taken matters into their own hands, moving the cones to allow them to park closer to their doorsteps.
The production team has commandeered the car park on Fields Park Road for their fleet.
A Cardiff Council spokesperson recognised the repercussions, stating: “We understand that the use of 40 spaces in the pay and display car park on Fields Park Road, adjacent to the Scout Hall is paid for by the production company for three weeks, may cause some inconvenience.
“However, only four permitted resident parking bays are being used for the filming, with alternative parking available for these spaces on Sneyd Street. The remaining parking spaces being used are on parts of the highway that are unrestricted, and the production company is also paying for these spaces.
“We appreciate that film shoots can be disruptive, but they bring income to the council and help establish Cardiff as one of the best filming locations in the UK. We have made every effort to minimize any inconvenience and are grateful for residents’ patience and understanding during the film shoot.”
Filming in Pontcanna is scheduled to wrap up on Friday, December 13. The movie, directed by Phillipa Lowthorpe, originates from Emma Donoghues script adaptation of Helen MacDonald’s acclaimed 2014 memoir.
