New tower of glass opposit the golden cross

June 15th last year I tweeted Watkin Jones asking about the future of this development and weirdly they responded TODAY with "Custom House represents a significant development in a prime location and Cardiff remains a vibrant and attractive student city and destination. We are currently undertaking routine due diligence and options analysis prior to formalising and finalising plans for the site"

Looks like it could resurface soon with a scaled down planning application? Change of use?

Reading between the lines it sounds as though it’s going to be student accommodation, maybe a bit shorter to make it more viable

I would imagine it was be scaled down to be viable but still tall enough to take the Wales' Tallest Tower award. Drop it down to 110m perhaps.

June 15th last year I tweeted Watkin Jones asking about the future of this development and weirdly they responded TODAY with "Custom House represents a significant development in a prime location and Cardiff remains a vibrant and attractive student city and destination. We are currently undertaking routine due diligence and options analysis prior to formalising and finalising plans for the site"

Looks like it could resurface soon with a scaled down planning application? Change of use?

Reading between the lines it sounds as though it’s going to be student accommodation, maybe a bit shorter to make it more viable

I would imagine it was be scaled down to be viable but still tall enough to take the Wales' Tallest Tower award. Drop it down to 110m perhaps.

Well if that were to be the case I for one would be very pleased! I'd rather an actual 110m (a considerable height in this neck of the woods) than a fictitious 132.5m!! If the delay and maybe that reduction in height means they actually get on with it then even better!

That's interesting that they should suddenly reply? It would be great to have some kind of update on plans for this site - it's hard to imagine that it'll be student accommodation now with so many others complete or underway. The only other way it's likely to remain a tower of the height planned is a Build to Rent scheme? oh well, maybe we'll hear more soon. Of course if anyone is 'in the know' and want to chuck a few clues to us here - please do!!

The idea was to build a PRS rather than a student accomodation scheme, but I don't think the numbers ever stacked up. That, and I don't know how many people in Cardiff would take something on with no possibility of having a car. Most new developments have some parking, even if it is at a premium, but there's no chance of fitting anything on that site.

At my development off Schooner Way the brand new 1 bedrooms didn't come with any parking at all and that's 40 flats. All sold pretty quickly but the majority of people do park their cars between the surrounding streets. It's just moved people to park elsewhere. In saying that all the PRS flats at the Interchange won't have any parking either, both locations are city centre with great public transport links. Zero chance of parking a car neither either of these.

How much parking is coming with the PRS scheme off Capital Quarter?

EDIT: Just looked, they have 74 spaces reserved in the multi story at Capital Quarter plus 5 outside the front. So 79 spaces, which I have no doubts will come at a heavy premium, especially those 5 just outside.

There is a massive gas pipe underneath Hope Street which supplies half of Cardiff. Building over it or near it is very difficult!

With the viaduct supporting the South Wales Main Line, the services under Bute St, the lower bridges and retricted traffic, this has to be one of the most difficult sites in Cardiff to build on.

That's true, but surely Watkin Jones would have known that when they drew up the initial plans?

I mean they're a very long-standing Welsh based developer not some fly by night company. I guess the truth is that the market has changed and what looked viable a few years ago no longer is.

Any more news on this site at all? Is it all over for this building?

I was looking forward to Cardiff having a real skyscraper. Cannot see where the next big one will come from if this is dead

Yes I actually thought we were going to actually get something of real height. I share your dissappointment Surely the only possibility for the approved building now would be for it to re-emerge as a PRS scheme? Maybe work is going on behind the scenes and we'll hear something soon!! ever the optimist - I only gave up on the glass needle a couple of weeks ago!!

Not sure how these things work but the site remains hoarded and available for approved structure, perhaps if it was a total non-starter that site would be available for a completely new project! So if watkin-jones become un-involved then we are back to wondering what might go there?

Yes I actually thought we were going to actually get something of real height. I share your dissappointment Surely the only possibility for the approved building now would be for it to re-emerge as a PRS scheme? Maybe work is going on behind the scenes and we'll hear something soon!! ever the optimist - I only gave up on the glass needle a couple of weeks ago!!

Not sure how these things work but the site remains hoarded and available for approved structure, perhaps if it was a total non-starter that site would be available for a completely new project! So if watkin-jones become un-involved then we are back to wondering what might go there?

On to the next hopeful contender