General Developments

When the city has bid for UEFA matches in the past, the number of hotel rooms in (and within easy reach of) the city has always been a huge negative. I'm not sure that anything significant has changed - other than UEFA's criteria, maybe.

That's just one of the issues I think, but a significant one. There's a number of projects, such as the WRU one mentioned above with hotel plots, Central Square, Capital Quarter and the Arms Park potential redevelopment being others but we aren't going to see all of them built any time soon, unless a conference centre gets built in the city. I'd be pleasantly surprised to see even one of them built before 2017.

I wonder if the rumours are Europa League rather than Champions League related?

It wouldn't shock me if they become less fussy though, I can imagine Platini wanting to see it held in more than just the usual cities and countries.

Some initial light ground work has begun at the Schooner falls site.

More Newport Road heritage going, OK it wasn't that pretty in the end but quite a large building. Hopefully the replacement is more akin to the building next to it in red brick than the other new development on Newport road.

Out with the old by SprinterJockey, on Flickr

Remind me, what is going to replace it?

Driving in and out of the city, you get the impression that Newport Road is almost the anti-Cathedral road.

It's all about the West of the Taff (and East of the Ely)

15/01431/MJR

Planning app for a smallish development on the edge of Old St Mellons near Druidstone road. Unusually for me, I don't think it should be approved. Main reason is that it will be almost entirely car dependent. It talks about being close to local facilities and bus stops - and in their definition that's 1.5km. Thats much further than I think most guidelines call "close" to public transport.

Apart from the transport, I don't object. Don't mind it being on the urban fringe. Quite like the proposed layout, although the developer-speak describing it in the DAS is somewhat cringeworthy. Just unlike the larger urban-fringe developments proposed, it is completely cut off from the rest of the city.

Anyone else notice the new signs at Callaghan square



View from level 5 at 1 Central Square

Positive news for Capital Tower. I've been wondering for a while how it would cope after Admiral left. There's so many new offices going up in the city, which is brilliant, but it's great to see some of the existing stock being taken up.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/commercial-property/aa-move-three-storeys-capital-9629937

Planning permission was granted at planning committee last night for the redevelopment of the Coleg Glan Hafren building for student accomodation.

Also granted was the first phase of the Porth Teigr residential development for 104 dwellings.