I agree. I like the size and the shape of the main tower. I also like the incongruity of it being slap bang in the middle of suburban Llanishen.
If the smaller tower can fit 142 flats then this could surely fit around 300? Get rid of the rest of the buildings on the site and there will still be room to fit in a reasonable amount of open space, a care facility, retirement home and around 100 houses I reckon. A sympathetic restoration could make this a landmark building.
Sadly I think as soon as the national house builders get hold of it they will go conservative and appeal to the family suburban type market. I also fully expect the local Nimby machine to get properly cranked up and insist all signs of modernism are wiped off the face of north Cardiff in favour of low density faux Georgian with off road parking. They will also insist on plenty of open space even though there is already Glide Park, Llanishen Park and two playing field in the development that was built on the ROF site.
As an aside there is quite a lot of development going on in Llanishen at the moment. A McCarthy and Stone development has just been completed next to the leisure centre which looks quite nice. Near Ty Glas station there is also a complex of flats nearing completion (I think these are age controlled - i.e. residents have to be over 55) and across the road flats and houses being built on the site previously occupied by Travis Perkins. Plus a McDonalds!