RandomComment wrote:But can you blame landlords and freeholders? If they have a live music venue that is whinging about rent and trying to get it cut, and others willing to pay more for the space, why shouldn't they? I mean we don't tend to say people should stay in jobs where they are underpaid in order to help the businesses employing them on said low pay. So it's never been clear to me why we should expect people earning capital as opposed to labour income to do that.
If as a society we decide that live music (or any other venue) is important from a cultural or other point of view, then society should stump up. That means if they are only able to pay sub-market rents, unless a private sector landlord is willing to forgo that income themselves, we should provide public space at subsidised rents, or top-up their rent to market levels.
Using planning rules has always looked like mandating the use of private money for public goods - in a rather arbitrary way.
No I don’t blame landlords. It’s just a shame that such widely-respected institutions such as 10FT and Gwdihw have been forced out, because they are cultural oases that are/were among the best in Cardiff’s history. One was tucked away, a so-called hidden gem, while the other is about as central as you can get. They have both played very important parts in Cardiff’s cultural life.
Hopefully 10FT will relocate to the old Wow. As for Gwdihw, its loss would appear permanent, just like its feathered friend the Toucan.