Cardiff Bay/Mermaid Quay developments

I was shocked and disappointed to see earlier today that the HSBC bank branch in Cardiff Bay has been permanently closed down.

This is not good news for such a prominent corner location.

It closed simply because it wasn't being used sufficiently. The Bank could not justify the costs necessary to keep it open so it went the way of other banks in the area. It'll probably end up the same as the similar building diagonally opposite.

I was shocked and disappointed to see earlier today that the HSBC bank branch in Cardiff Bay has been permanently closed down.

This is not good news for such a prominent corner location.

The commercial operation have moved to 1 callaghan square with ever sheds.

On a more positive note, does anyone know who the new tenant at the pilotage building (ex Woods Brasserie) is going to be? It is marked up as "let".

I've also heard mutterings that thr building that housed the former City Bar on Mount Stuart Square is in negotiations with a tenant to reopen in the first quarter of next year.

I hope to God its not McDonalds in the Pilotage.

The owner of Duchess of Deli told me it was going to be a McDonald's... But then a friend had told me that that had changed.

Bloody hell. What happened to Covent Garden on Sea? Maccy Dee's, a Spoons, Subway, Starbucks, Costa, Ladbrokes, Nando's etc. It's more like Culverhouse Cross. It's also another independent gone and replaced by a chain.

Bad news about the HSBC. I love that building and I hope some productive use is found for it soon.

Does anyone else get the feeling that the Bay development has stalled as the focus shifts back to the city centre? Leaving aside the ISV is there anything happening/in the pipeline in terms of development at the moment?

On a more positive note, does anyone know who the new tenant at the pilotage building (ex Woods Brasserie) is going to be? It is marked up as "let".

There was a planning app from Bill's, think it was withdrawn but it may have been a small part of the application rather than the whole thing.

Does anyone else get the feeling that the Bay development has stalled as the focus shifts back to the city centre? Leaving aside the ISV is there anything happening/in the pipeline in terms of development at the moment?

It certainly seems that way. Most of the office development seens to be around the central railway station while the housing action seems tilted toward the ISV. These things are cyclical to an extent but a lot of Bay projects seem to be on hold at the moment. Porth Teigr looks stalled, there's no sign or work restarting on the West Bute Street / James Street appartments while the Coal Exchange, the Post Office and Cory building are rotting away. The only thing happening is the ridiculously named 'Dixie' appartment development.

Ash - they are starting to do something on the James St apartments site. They were delivering very large bags of sand alongside it on Friday when I walked past - whatever that means!