With the completion of major construction projects in the last couple of years, such as the transformation of Central Square, the redevelopment of Cardiff city centre appears to be well underway.
And the familiar sight of cranes and scaffolding around Cardiff tells everyone that there is certainly more to come in pursuit of the city’s revitalization.
However, it is not always easy to figure out the exact nature of the projects being undertaken on these sites, begging the question: just what is the plan for Cardiff’s future landscape?
Read more: The huge projects planned for Cardiff that never happened
Central Quay
By far the most sizeable project currently ongoing is at the former Brains brewery site at Central Quay. Within two high-rise buildings overlooking the River Taff, 715 build to rent (BTR) apartments are expected to be available to the public – comprised of a mix of studio, one-bed, two-bed, and three-bed apartments.
As Wales’ largest and most ambitious BTR project, the Central Quay development is looking to provide leisure attractions alongside accommodation, offering 19,500 sq. ft of retail space containing familiar restaurant and retail brand names.
Two squares facing the River Taff, one of which will aptly be named Chimney Square to commemorate the iconic Brains brewery chimney left to stand in the proposal for the site, are set to round off the modernising vision of the scheme’s developers.
As the image above shows, there is still some way to go before the project concludes, with the first part of the project set to be completed by May 2026, and then finished in its entirety by March 2027.
Curran Road
A huge crane currently stands tall over the Gramercy Tower scheme in Crawshay Court on Curran Road, just along from the Lloyds Bank office in St. William House.
The tower is predicted to stand at 27 stories, roughly 85 metres tall, and hold 188 apartments – consisting of 120 one-bed, 66 two-bed, and two three-bed apartments. Amenities the building will be able to boast include a residents' lounge, a fitness suite, and two roof terraces, along with a car park containing electric charging points and a bike storage area.
The Gramercy Tower was acquired by the Catella European Residential Fund III from Urban Centric in early 2022 and is set to be opened in 2024.
Dumballs Road
The Anchor industrial estate on Dumballs Road is host to a large construction site that is predicted to house two apartment blocks that will cumulatively hold 432 flats. There will be 252 one-bed and 180 two-bed apartments available to tenants once completed - none of which will be classed as "affordable" housing. The Anchorworks apartment buildings will be able to offer two large communal rooftop garden terraces, an on-site gym, a residents' lounge, and a café to tenants.
The Anchorworks housing development has previously come under scrutiny for its lack of affordable housing despite Butetown’s lengthy social housing waiting list, which is where the Anchorworks site is situated. As the picture above indicates, the project has been able to progress despite such remonstrances.
The project is scheduled to be finished, with tenants available to move into the building, in the summer of 2024.
Landore Court
A scheme that appears to be near completion is the mixed-use development of a five, seven and 16 storey apartment block in Landore Court on Charles Street, which is set to provide 150 brand new apartments right in the city centre.
Designed by Rio Architects for client Crossmark Developments Limited, there will be 47 studios, 65 one-bed, and 38 two-bed apartments available to rent when construction is concluded, as well as two commercial units on the ground floor.
Having begun work in the summer of 2021, the project was always envisioned to be complete by 2023 and looks very close to achieving that objective.
No 1 John Street
Another location where an extensive construction site can be found is on John Street. Although there are no cranes in sight there, its size still makes it worthy of a mention.
The 10-storey office building that developer JR Smart has been working on since 2019 looks to finally be close to completion, with final touches being administered to the ground floor of the structure.
Once opened, the building will provide roughly 109,000 sq. ft of brand-new Grade A office space in the heart of Cardiff. Key features including a training suite, a gym, a ground floor coffee shop, and a 3,500 sq. ft rooftop terrace are expected to distinguish the building as indicative of Cardiff’s imminent urban transformation.
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