A historic Cardiff building that has been empty for 25 years could now be turned into apartments. Custom House, a Grade II listed building in Cardiff Bay, stands next to the huge Cory Building on Bute Street and dates back to the late 1800s.
Previously the HM Immigration Office, the building has been empty for 25 years. But Cardiff Council has recently granted permission for the use of the site to be changed from offices to apartments. The building was designed by the prominent architect Sir Henry Tanner, who was also responsible for the Post Office building - now The Parkgate hotel - on Westgate Street.
With an wrought iron gate leading to the boarded-up building, some original features are still in place, including a sweeping staircase and a period fireplace. The building even featured in Sky drama, The Lazarus Project, as an abandoned place for two characters to meet.
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Cardiff-based company PropertyIndex, which owns the building, submitted an application to change the use of the vacant building last summer. The company also owns Portland House, where it is based, directly opposite Custom House. The company purchased the building back in March 2021 and had been working on plans to create 'a highly elegant and purposeful application for planning, utilising all this impressive building has to offer within its existing wall structure which has remained untouched and vacant over for 25 years'.
The apartments will be set across the ground floor, and the first and second floors according to the approved plans. In total, there will be seven units with a two-to-three-bedroom apartment, a one-bedroom duplex, three two-bedroom units, and two two-bedroom mezzanine units.
Last year, Director Chris Spiteri explained why the company was so keen to buy Custom House. He told WalesOnline: "So we're based across the road in Portland House and it was an opportunity where we can have a development where it is easy to manage because we're so close by. We've already invested in the area anyway so we knew the owners of it previously so were able to do a private deal with them."
The original application proposed nine units - seven within the building and two in a roof extension - but this has now been reduced to just seven units within the building itself. Th existing staircase leading from the main entrance hall will be retained and refurbished as will the entrance gates to the building.
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