Cardiff Bay is home to some of the most stunning and historic buildings in the capital.
From the unmissable Welsh Millennium Centre to the picturesque Pierhead Building, the area has a lot to be proud of having transformed beyond recognition in the last 100 years.
However, while slick, modern developments are popping up around the city, there are some buildings that have seemingly been left behind and have fallen into a state of disrepair.
Read more: The huge new apartment block planned for site of much-loved Butetown mural
For whatever reason, plans to restore these structures have yet to materialise, leaving them as eyesores for local residents and visitors to the area.
Here are the stories behind some of the abandoned, run-down buildings in Cardiff Bay:
Merchant Place and Cory's Buildings
These buildings on the corner of Bute Place and Bute Street have been empty for more than two decades.
Merchant Place and the adjoining Cory's Buildings are just metres from the stunning Wales Millennium Centre, but have proved an eyesore for many local residents and visitors to the Bay.
The five-storey grade two listed buildings were designed by Bruton and Williams, with Merchant Place built in 1881 and Cory's Buildings constructed eight years later for Cory Brothers & Co - whose business interests included chandlery, brokerage, colliery and wagon ownership and coal exporting.
The late 19th century buildings were bought by Cardiff Council in January 2021 in a bid to protect the city’s architectural heritage, and marketed the following month.
At the time, Cabinet Member for Investment and Development, Cllr Russell Goodway, said: "We've seen both of these important buildings lying empty for far too long now. They stand at the gateway to the inner harbour area opposite one of Wales' most iconic buildings the Wales Millennium Centre.
"The buildings sit on the crossroads between the Inner Harbour and the Atlantic Wharf area, which will become the focus of our attention as we seek to bring forward the next phase regeneration of Cardiff Bay.
"We have an ambition to establish Cardiff Bay as a premier UK visitor destination, to attract more visitors to Cardiff and to provide jobs and opportunity for local people. Delivery of the new 15,000 capacity Indoor Arena is the start of these plans."
While proposals for a new hotel or apartment block were put forward to the council, in October, plans were revealed to transform the derelict buildings into the new home for a top college.
It was reported that the council were considering selling the buildings to Dukes Education, which owns the prestigious Cardiff Sixth Form College.
The proposals would see the independent college - which is currently based on Newport Road - relocated to the Bay, with the refurbished buildings housing both the college itself and the accommodation for students.
A cabinet report said that the plans provided "a vibrant scheme" and would attract "a significant number of young people" to the area, adding: "Dukes Education is a well funded organisation backed by a number of high profile pension funds. They will deliver a self-funded, owner-occupied scheme, minimising development risk.”
However, a planning application for these proposals has not yet been submitted, with the future of this abandoned site yet to be confirmed.
Marine Buildings
This historic building overlooking the Cardiff Bay barrage has been subject to a long-running saga in regard to its restoration.
The Marine Buildings at Penarth Marina has been derelict for nearly 40 years, having previously been a mix of office space, apartments and shops, last used in the early 1980s.
Having suffered badly from fire and water damage over the years, the building's structure has been considered "dangerous" by inspectors.
It adjoins the Old Custom House, which was acquired in 2001 by Cardiff restaurateur Martin Martinez and is now home to the successful El Puerto and La Marina Restaurants.
When the Custom House was acquired, it was also in a derelict state, but was restored in £3 million project, and there have long been calls for the Grade II-listed Marine Buildings, which dates back to 1865, to get the same treatment.
In 2011, Mr Martinez submitted ambitious plans to transform the neighbour building into a 55-bedroom four-star hotel, with cafeteria and wine bar, claiming the existing structure was "an eyesore" The proposals would have seen the building gutted, with its western and northern facades retained and restored.
However, these plans never materialised - and the building remains as unattractive and gloomy as ever today.
Adelaide Street
Though it may not look like it, this building on the corner of Adelaide Street in the Bay is still incredibly important for local residents.
While the grey brick block - which is surrounded by modern housing and renovated 20th century buildings - appears to have been left behind and left to fall apart, it houses a dangerous secret which has been held for nearly 70 years.
Within the cold, graffiti-daubed walls is an 11,000 volt electricity substation, run by Western Power, which serves the surrounding area.
Land Registry documents show that the building has been a substation since 1953, and despite its overgrown state, Western Power told WalesOnline in 2019 that the structure of the building is sound.
The building overlooks a half-acre patch of empty derelict land where the early-20th century Merthyr House used to stand.
Cardiff Council bought the plot last year and marketed it to developers as a potential site for new offices, apartments or a hotel.
However, councillors were expected to sign off on plans in October to build new council housing on the land, but a planning application has not yet been submitted.
The development would include homes for elderly residents to live with their extended families, which is a type of housing in high demand in the local area.
A cabinet report into the site made last year read: "Given the derelict state of the site over a number of decades, it has become a significant blight on the local community and environment. The council has cleared the site and hoarded the entire site, to improve the appearance of the area.
“The development would provide suitable and adaptable accommodation for larger, extended families, delivering accommodation that provides for older family members who wish to live with their extended families. The site is well located close to facilities and parkland and the development would provide a private communal garden.”
Other plans were submitted in late 2020 for the grey brick building to be demolished, with an "interim building" constructed to house a substation - but these have also seemingly stalled.
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