CardiffWalesMap

This is a pretty decent and balanced article on the Cardiff Bay redevelopment and whether it has achieved what it originally set out to do.

What a shame that it's so unusual to see anything of this quality appear on Wales online.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/b ... s-14070156

There's a lot in there to both agree and disagree with for me! but the first thing I noticed was reference to the divide at the old end of Bute St, well admittedly it's taken a long time but surely that divide is softening and shall do so more as the old Bank building and Cory building are being converted to residential. Also I think the coal exchange will start having a more and more positive effect on the mount st. sq area. I think that old Butetown will become much more part of the 'Cardiff Bay experience' over the next year or so - and quite rightly so! (pure class compared to mermaid quay) Anyway as I said plenty more talking points aside from this. Can't believe that the Packet is under threat!!

HalRobsonKanu wrote:This is a pretty decent and balanced article on the Cardiff Bay redevelopment and whether it has achieved what it originally set out to do.

What a shame that it's so unusual to see anything of this quality appear on Wales online.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/b ... s-14070156

What a good balanced article by WOL. Such an improvement on their usual advertorials!

I bet the author is an intern...trying to impress his bosses.... look him up on LinkedIn!

paul cardiffwalesmap wrote: Can't believe that the Packet is under threat!!

Its a bit of a rough pub, anyone walking past can see it is not the type of place you wander into and sit down without being stared at. Shame as it looks to have a lot of character, but so do the customers, which i think puts a lot of the people walking past off. There are a few decent new places though, the book cafe looks lovely inside, the sunflower and I is a lovely building and there is a decent looking cafe on Stuart street. Is the culture of going for a pint just not there anymore, or at least with the new residents of the bay, who seem to preffer coffee shops to pubs? Maybe a economic/class thing?

It seems to me that it's actually the 'rough' pubs in working class areas that are closing. There have been no pubs closed in Whitchurch, for example, whereas Grangetown has only two pubs left and one of those has moved sharply upmarket.

Two thoughts. First, the price differential between off-sales and pub prices impacts more on people with limited incomes and secondly, the growth of the working class Muslim population in the south of the city is shrinking the pool of C2DE drinkers.

Same for Splott. The Grosvenor, Moorland, Cardiff Arms, New Dock, Bertram, Locomotive, Tredegar, Old Airport, Canadian are all gone. Ditto most of the pubs in Adamsdown, Llanrumney, Ely etc.

It seems to me that pub going is a middle class sport these days and usually accompanied by food. I also think its generational. Purely anecdotally but the under 25's don't seem to go for a casual couple of pints down the local in the week and quite often will meet for coffee or food. On weekends they can be found prinking in each others houses before getting taxis straight to a club.

When I get down my local it's rare to see many under 25's unless there is football/rugby on the big screen. I usually feel quite sprightly compared to the other purple nosed regulars and I'm hurtling into the bowels of middle age.

The Witla Court, Potters Wheel, The Hendre, The Carpenters Arms all Rumney and Trowbridge.
Llanrumney Hall, The Goodies Llanrumney

I think it is more of a sign of the times... 25 years ago there was not the access to the internet like today, plus Tv options and computers all being better and more available today.

25 odd years ago you went out to escape the 4 channels of tv you had to choose from, these days there is plenty of entertainment at home.

Premier Inn has reached full height,

20180112_130926 by Stephen Anstiss, on Flickr

I love the "meccano" stage of new builds like this one. They seem to shoot up overnight. I'm not sure whether I like the porthole design or not, but it's certainly different and can't be any worse than some of the crud in that part of the Bay.

Interstingly, there's a mock up of one of the windows at the back of the site. It appears as if the front of the builing is to be clad in what look like cream colour ceramic tiles.