Queen's Arcade

ok so i think this could really work i mean it has to connect working street/ hayes with queen street for sure to make this a success and make it a high footfall street . i really do like the quirky layout and design of the arcade and its just a shame its not been a success with high quality shops !. I think there has to be a interesting square in the middle of the street filled with independent bars and restaurants but also like the idea of a hotel and office space too to make this a lively mixed use hot spot . As far as i am aware the architect for this possible project is going to be holder mathias architects..now its the same company that has worked on the ongoing cardiff interchange and churt street development . Now i will say again i am unsure about the use of materials in the ongoing project with the interchange but i really hope it is going to look high quality and think if their going to take on the development of the arcade it really needs to be quirky , not boring and interesting features in the design..this is the last proper central project that has the chance to make a statement and i believe it should be taking inspiration from carnaby street in london for character .

now correct me if i am wrong im sure if you zoom in on the hotel design i think i can make out the word APART HOTEL, now this is a mix of a homely feeling apartment and a hotel and although there is a ffew just outside the centre of cardiff there would be nothing of the quality or scale of this one right in the heart of the action witch i believe is something cardiff central is crying out for !!. so this would be a attractive and smart move as we already have plenty of budget hotels and i think this is a bit more premium with prices likely staring at £80 per night but for what you get this is exciting and is in hot demand . Cardiff is recognised for its hospitality and events and with such a venture in central this only ups its status as a premium destination.

There needs to be a interesting water fountain feature in the possible square.

Here is the link all. https://dppukltd.com/queensarcade/

I love it and want it to happen but shame boots isn’t going as well.

Here is the link all. https://dppukltd.com/queensarcade/

I must say I'm a little underwhelmed by the detailed design.

I think they're actually sacrificing too much ground floor frontage to what I think are actually pretty inactive despite their claims: office reception and 'co-working' space, and hotel reception and restaurant space. I think that only counts as properly active if food and beverage vendors open directly on to the street (which isn't what I think they have in mind). I also would have thought they could get more rent from even pretty low rent retail space than from a large ground floor reception / co-working space - and it would be nice to keep some of the independent retailers that have recently found a home as a result of the fall in rental values.

I'm not sure about the streetscape, not the building styles - both of which appear a bit gimmicky. I'd probably prefer simpler brick buildings, albeit with a range of different colours for the bricks (e.g. white, grey, tan, red, black), and a single gently sloping street rather than the split level approach they've gone for.

Its probably more appropriate than the big tower they proposed - which just would have been out of place.

the more you look into it the more weird it gets haha ..i am not a fan of the wasted public space and lack of outdoor features that are meant to so called "attract" footfall. It seems the developer would be more than happier enough to put design and under other attractive ideas aside and build a massive residential block in the middle of a centre with fairly low style buildings ..i mean going back in 2019 they tried to put forward plans for a 24 storey residential building that would of looked well out of place and lack of imagination with it . I do like the ruby red office that blend nicely with the outstanding architecture of the kingdom of sweets building but apart from that theres a huge residential complex that looks a bit dull and a weird ramp for cyclist to go into storage that takes up space that is already lacking for visitors, commuters so on. There is also a tiny square to be names "dead mans square"..umm like i said it is tiny green space that does not have no attractive water feature or seating plan..does anyone else agree that there is a lack of space here and that things could be a little different ?

The worst aspect of it for me are most of the building designs which are much worse than I was expecting from the initial sketch. That hideous apartment block with the minuscule coloured balconies lacks any design or features. The hotel block is terrible as well and looks like it should have been built on Newport Rd in the 70s. None of it gels, could have looked contemporary and stylish but it's awful.

Maybe someone could re-design everything as the concept is sound.

I wouldn't worry too much about the sketches. It's a hybrid application mainly about the principal of the devlopement.

There is a deatiled application for the listed Queen Street Chambers (that's the Venetian style building where Kingdom of Sweets is) but the other buildings shown are merely indicitive of height, massing etc.

Wales Online are running a retrospective piece on Queen's Arcade, I'd forgotten there were glass lifts when it first opened.

Any news on the new plans?

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/gallery/how-cardiffs-queens-arcade-looked-23551810

Queen's Arcade was reasonably successful while it had Argos and Disney as its anchors. It's jumbled up levels were always confusing though and when the Post Office moved it was pretty much done for. Odd to think that it's less than thirty years old.

Not surprising considering the large amount of tumbleweed rolling through the centre. Interesting to see that the redevelopment is still in the planning, although seemingly at a glacial pace.

Their plan to move all retailers to the 'upstairs' level is pretty odd considering when I walked through the centre in January, there was basically nothing left to speak of on the lower level.

Whatever happened to the food court plan from a few years ago?

https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/queens-arcade-centre-cardiff-property-26136796