General Developments

Canal Quarter Masterplan released. This may need a seperate thread soon.

https://cardiff.moderngov.co.uk/ieIssue ... =3#AI15172

Some of these plans look very exciting. I always knew the Rapports' building was going to be redeveloped, but looks like the Motorpoint Arena will be too.

I am very happy with that. Lots of joined up thinking...and hints of future Cardiff Prison redevelopment!!!

Looks like some activity down at the old Grangetown gasworks, they had done some piling down there a month or so back but a couple of pre-fab units appeared when I was walking past there last weekend. What are the actual plans for the old Gasworks? Houses?

Yeah the site was allocated in the Cardiff LDP for approx 500 homes + community facilities. I don't believe there are any formal plans drawn up yet though.

Yeah the site was allocated in the Cardiff LDP for approx 500 homes + community facilities. I don't believe there are any formal plans drawn up yet though.

Well the gasholder itself is listed so it will be interesting to see how they work around it.

https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/300014067-gas-holder-at-british-gas-grangetown-works-grangetown#.YKLMOaHTXy0

With imaginative design, the gasholder could be an asset rather than a hindrance. Create a garden around it, with seating or a water feature, and illuminate it at night. Design the buildings around it to form a crescent - it could make a great focal point for the area.

https://www.architectmagazine.com/proje ... der-park_o

The redevelopment of Kings Cross was a multi billion pound regeneration scheme with backing from the likes of Google and Facebook.... We can only dream for something similar for the wasteland behind Ikea in Grangetown

With imaginative design, the gasholder could be an asset rather than a hindrance. Create a garden around it, with seating or a water feature, and illuminate it at night. Design the buildings around it to form a crescent - it could make a great focal point for the area.

Totally agree! It should be a feature asset.

Seriously, we need to be thinking of more creative ways to adapt and preserve heritage structures. Otherwise, more will be bulldozed and replaced with bland, boring developments that will age in no time. Just look at the bay redevelopment!

Actually very little was demolished during the redevlopment of Cardiff Bay. The only two buildings of note to be demolished by CBDC that I can think of were the fairly modern Maritime Museum and the original Mountstuart pub by the Bute Street lights.

Many fine buidings were lost in Cardiff Bay but they were demolished decades earlier, mainly in the 1960s and 70s. Ironically, one of the finest was knocked dowto make way for said museum!

They were still largely responsible for the boring, unimaginative developments that replaced them. I’ve ranted about the Bay redevelopment on several posts before. I’m convinced that had the Bay been located in any other country, it would be 100 times better than it is now. Such a wasted opportunity.

They were still largely responsible for the boring, unimaginative developments that replaced them.

Well there's truth in that of course but it's worth remembering that, unlike English developement corporations in the same period, CBDC was not the planning authority. Those powers remained with the local authority so the then councillors should shoulder at least part of the blame. It's also true to say that many of the worst examples of poorly designed developments in the Bay were built after CBDC was wound up in 2000.

I suspect our views aren't too far apart on the quality of many of the developments from that period but I do credit CBDC with getting some things right, noteably by insisting that the A4232 link road be should buried underground, a fight won against heavyweight Welsh Office opposition