General Developments

Cardiff misses out on C4 creative hub

Channel 4 chooses Leeds as new national headquarters

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/ ... _clipboard

I'm disappointed but I think your points are really good. In terms of coverage of the UK, they seem sensible decisions. Media spun it as fore gone conclusion Birmingham would get the HQ, so interesting to see them pick leeds
I guess the hubs are less important than their mandate to make more of their TV programmes in the regions and whether more of that comes to Cardiff

I'm not surprised by this. They had to have a hub in Scotland. Politically, it was impossible not to. It would then look a bit imbalanced if England only got the HQ and not a hub, given its 84% of the UK population. Bristol can serve a wider area than Cardiff - there would be a tendency for a hub in Cardiff to be seen as "Wales" in the way a hub in Bristol wouldn't necessarily be seen to exclude Wales. We also can't ignore the effect of having S4C in Wales already.

We also can't ignore the effect of having S4C in Wales already.

Well we can to a point, because since digital switchover Channel 4's programming remit was extended to include Wales. That, along with S4C moving to Carmarthen could have worked in Cardiff's favour.

What goes against it is that we are already have a substantial network presence in the form of the BBC, in a way that Bristol doesn't have (partly due to the growth of said Cardiff presence).

Bristol has a decent little community of independent production companies that would benefit greatly from a C4 Creative Hub.

Developments that I thought would be well underway by now....

Bus Station - offices - apartments - all hoarded off, workers on site, some earth being moved around! BUT clearly not fully underway? I thought this was opening next week!! they'd better get a shift on!!

Premier Inn Custom House Street - The York pub was demolished on Christmas eve and I thought it would be all systems go early this year. Recently some 'drawn markings' have appeared on pavements surrounding site is this an indication of a start?

Watkin-Jones Tower (the big one!) - God knows! or actually maybe he doesn't!!

Ledger Building and Multi-storey car park southside of Cardiff Central - All clear for take off planning wise, but zilch activity on this one - the first of the ambitious Central Quay development. Brains still seem to be on site next door are they still brewing there?

OK so I'm a little impatient but it'll be nice to see any if not all of the above actually start construction. Does anyone have any knowledge they'd like to share on any of the above I wonder?....

Premier Inn Custom House Street - The York pub was demolished on Christmas eve and I thought it would be all systems go early this year. Recently some 'drawn markings' have appeared on pavements surrounding site is this an indication of a start?
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I think this is still on track as they just put an application for signage:
https://planningonline.cardiff.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=_CARDIFF_DCAPR_125482&activeTab=summary

Here’s an interesting article on plans for Cardiff’s civic centre and other old buildings, and also the council’s plans to relocate staff.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wale ... g-15393282

And another article regarding Cardiff council’s agreement to buy the land containing Britannia Park in Cardiff Bay.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wale ... n-15394395

Lots of news this week!

And another article regarding Cardiff council’s agreement to buy the land containing Britannia Park in Cardiff Bay.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wale ... n-15394395

Lots of news this week!

Nerys from the Civic Society made me cast my eye back to 2008 when a few of us on Paul's forum decided to meet up and try to set up a new sort of civic society. One that was both more ambitious and more realistic. Now unlike the pensioners who generally make up the bulk of Civic Society-type institutions, we didn't have the time really to do anything with it. But it was a nice idea.

Anyway, I mention this because Nerys's comments are just so unhelpful in the context of austerity: what we need is more "cultural" venues and green space that requires public subsidy, after the public already just forked out money to buy the site, apparently. Now I'm not so sure there is huge scope for more restaurants in the bay, but neither are we really at the point where they're all closing due to excess supply.

I actually didn't mind the Dolffin Quay proposals (apart from the name). I'm not sure I agree with the council spending public money to stop a more intensive development of that sort. But if it does, I want it to try to recoup as much as possible, which is not gonna be with more "cultural" facilities of interest to a small minority.

Work has now begun on the old Cardiff bay train station offices

The site of the Watkin-Jones tower (Custom house street) also has scaffolding up against the rear supporting wall today similar to the work that was recently carried out at the Premier Inn site, before they got started. A small section of the wall has been removed (looking from the train tonight). Perhaps Network Rail have been holding both of these projects up at their usual glacial pace. If there is any market left for student housing could we still see this one out of the ground!

I'm sure this was mentioned quite a while ago, but Atlantic Wharf is getting a Staybridge Suites.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/hotel-you-can-stay-long-15478416