General Developments

The Student Accomodation boom continues...

http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-a ... APR_114019

... and its moved into somewhat unusual territority: Trade Street. This is a light industry / cheap low rise office area just off Penarth Road. The proposal is for a 10-storey (G-9) student accomodation block with a cafe on the ground floor. The design is a bit odd. Its like X shaped and pretty bulky. I think material quality will be key to ensure it doesn't become an eyesore and the images are a little worrying. It looks OK in them, but the material could end up a bit like Ty Pont Haern... yuck!

Whatever the material quality, it will stand out like a sore thumb at the moment. But its at the top end of the Dumballs Road regeneration area. If that development progresses, there will be quite a lot of mid-rise development and this, if done well, could blend nicely with that. If done poorly it will be a disappointing visual gateway to that neighbourhood.

Speaking of which, any news on the Dumballs Road development? Planning permission has been given for the first phase, right?

I saw that.

I can't get my head around a number of things. The location for student housing seems very random. The design (which I think is so bad that it's offensive) does not compliment the existing buildings (new or old) in anyway. This area was earmarked - as part of the Dumballs Rd development - to be a 'heritage' area with the few decent period buildings that remain. My understanding was that the area was to be sensitively redeveloped so that it would join seamlessly into the proposed new neighbourhood. Not to have a giant plastic X plonked in the middle.

I'd be surprised if it gets built in that (or any other) form. The owners are a local outfit who I don't thik will build on their own speculatively. They might try and get one a student accommodation specialists on board but with the amount that is coming on stream at the moment plus the better locations available it would be a brave decision to build in that location.

Out of interest how many student resis are currently u/c or almost certain to get built. Windsor Place, Park Place, Oxford Place (off City Rd) and City Rd (old Glan Hafren) are u/c, Northgate House just completed, Howard Gardens and Capital Quarter look certain to go forward. These are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

the student residential on city road are very plentiful as the ones mooted are:

Coleg Glan Hafren, (being renovated)
next door to Coleg Glan Hafren on the municipal club,
the open car park next to what was Maplins,
oxford street (being built)
the plumb centre on city road,
one next to the spin bowling place,

the buildings on Fitzalan Place, next to the blind institute,
Howard Gardens site,
on Crwys Road on the corner of Woodville Road

other notable ones are:

the tall tower next to Radisson
the York Hotel/Custom House plot
Capital Quarter two plots

not sure, what else, but I'm sure i'm missing some...

I think i agree with all these developments, but not on trade street, totally the wrong place for this build, even though it close to Cardiff and vale college, but the people who go there wont require a student resi, its more for the uni student.

Looking at the list of project above you have to wonder when the Capital Quarter one will start. The company that purchased the plots from J R Smart says on it's website that it's due for completion in Q3 2017. That's 3 years after they purchased it !

http://www.viridisrealestate.com/capital-quarter.html

As for that project on Trade street it hurts my eyes

They are taking their time over that Dumballs Road project as well aren't they ? I haven't read a thing about it for quite a while now.

yes the student resi on capital quarter should be nearing completion, not sure what is taking them so long, all that section of capital quarter could have been finished by next year.

dumbals road is indeed a strange one, seems to be taking a age, as all we have had done there is the new college, plus that office block next to the AA and now this strange student resi on trade street, wheres the housing element which will totally change that area coming!!!

Another project that has gone quiet is Ely Mill/Bridge. The site was remediated at public expense. And there has been no sign of progress for years. On a site which should be pretty prime: quite central, but providing a lot of "family homes" as opposed to just flats. I wonder what the hold up is? The website is now down, which isn't a good sign!

The people behind Dumballs Rd - Bellerophon - are based in....Suffolk House, Trade St which is to be demolished to make way for the plastic X student resi according to the planning app. Coincidence?

The last update on their website was in May 2015 and was related to their bid to regenerate two key city centre sites in ...Swansea.

They are also the company currently developing the affordable housing near Morrisons in the ISV and the building which is going up near to the flyover and next to Victoria Wharf (described on their website as ISV offices) which might explain the delay in the Dumballs Rd development.

Interesting...

... The rapid rise of Bellerophon is rather incredibly. They've gone from building a small unit scheme in RCT to bidding for major regeneration projects and 2000 home developments. Perhaps their eyes are bigger than their stomach when it comes to their capacity to digest such big projects. Let's hope not though, and that they can deliver what they have pledged to deliver.

That design is absolutely terrible. Is this site within the masterplan for the whole Dumballs Road area?

Cardiff really needs to move away from these 'landmark' style buildings and think more about integrating new builds into existing an future neighbourhoods. They shouldn't be encouraging tall buildings in this location, surface parking or sh!t materials.

Do you think all of us on here should start biting the bullet and objecting to some of these major developments which often seem like no one cares, receiving no objections/comments from the public. Unheard of in some places.

Maybe it would open these kinds of developments up to closer scrutiny...

Popped in to the Park Inn to see the plans for the Charles / Bridge Street student development yesterday. Coupla things.. firstly it's substantial! I'm going to put photos here when I get a chance but for now https://www.flickr.com/photos/8761770@N05/22287563546/in/photostream/ everyone will have their own opinion especially perhaps regarding the location, but it looks good to me! Also I asked the representatives of Watkin Jones (who were very pleasant and helpful) if this in anyway compromises the other student development which I'm calling 'Hope Tower'? No at all - They are optimistic on both fronts and construction for both could start spring/summer 2016. The best part for me was that in discussing 'Hope Tower' I got the impression that Watkin Jones (as a Welsh company) have the desire to have built the tallest building in Wales, it's looking like 42 storeys now! and in discussions regarding permissions for the building to be constructed they were encouraged to increase the height!! Well I was in a state of happy shock about this and as I walked past the Radisson Blu afterwards and imagined a slim tower next to it, almost twice it's height! I wondered if perhaps this was just a dream - I then realised that it must be as I saw a full Cardiff Airport Express and a healthy cueue just hoping they'd be able to squeeze on!! Times they are a changing!