New tower of glass opposit the golden cross

"granted"

Remind me again, how tall and the number of floors is the application for?

Didn't they alter it a few times...

43 storeys, 132m tall. They did alter it as it used to be a shorter building, but I believe it's mentioned in the final application that they were actually encouraged by planners to increase the height. So I don't think this development ever had a danger of being refused.

I don't know how many floor equates to a skyscraper, but I would say anything over 30 floors ?

Happy days.. Cardiff needs this

Another 10/12 please

Wondering what it would look like from Weston, and I thought what would the BK look like on the same scale?

Iona Gordan even admitted in this meeting that she has a big personal problem with tall buildings. Surely people with initial bias should not be on the planning committee in the first place? If each individual planning application is to be judged on its own merits and downfalls, how does it help to have somebody that is a self-confessed hater of tall buildings on the committee? Their mind will already be made up before the application is even submitted! The chair even made the point of reminding everybody that tall buildings are to be judged not just on the fact they are tall, but the benefits they bring.

I watched the webcast and agree that Cllr Gordon's comments were pretty stupid. She seems to be opposed to any developments at all unless they're bike sheds made out of organic, free trade, sustainable lentils!

She's obviously a hard green who's somehow ended up in the Labour Party. Among her previous 'greatest hits'

- opposing new affordable housing in Butetown on the grounds that Cardiff Bay is "suffering from over-development"

- opposing the Central Square scheme in its entirety because the scheme "did not take account of cyclists needs"

- opposing Ice Arena Wales - the only member of the committee to vote against the scheme

- opposing the opening of a Co-op store in Pontcanna saying “I think it’s appalling... it will attract more people to Pontcanna in their cars, even if they live close by, which will cause more traffic in the area. We are already provided for very well and do not need change.”

To be fair I thought other members of the committee spoke very well - but God, she's a miserable woman!

The potential issue with this building was never the height, it was the use of the building and quality of facade materials. Buildings of similar height have been approved by Cardiff CC in the past and planners (to my surprise) did encourage the building to go taller.

The height to base ratio is roughly 5:1, which is slender but nowhere near as slender as many buildings in places like Melbourne and New York. We're nowhere near the slenderness ratio of say 432 Park Avenue.

There are a lot of services around the site that need to be diverted etc., which will slow progress. But expect to see significant activity on site around June. Frame is due to start in the last quarter of this year.

Given the second Watkin Jones tower, together with JR Smarts approved buildings, I hope that this is the way forward for Cardiff at long last and I hope we'll see some taller office buildings as well.

On balance I think this is good news - but I remain to be convinced about the dark facade treatment. Maybe it will work. But I would have preferred ligher coloured stone effect concrete than they propose.

The planning committees comments were ridiculous. Like a bunch of pensioners. Iona Gordon doesnt want the application approved becuase it may be visible from Thompson Park!

That's bollocks. You'd never see town from Thompson's park.

Perhaps she means from Sir Davids fields although even that that would be a talk ask

Good job the people who appose these building in Cardiff don't live in Hong Kong, New York, Paris and so on

We are not a village or a small town, let's start thinking like an international City, a Capital City of a country... you want small building made out of newspaper move to Brecon, not that Brecon has buildings made of paper

This is excellent news, and I hope the Charles Street project is approved in the next couple of months too.

Iona Gordon really is beyond a joke, why did she want to be on the planning committee if she is opposed to virtually all development? The sooner the Riverside ward returns to Plaid Cymru the better

Iona Gordan even admitted in this meeting that she has a big personal problem with tall buildings. Surely people with initial bias should not be on the planning committee in the first place? If each individual planning application is to be judged on its own merits and downfalls, how does it help to have somebody that is a self-confessed hater of tall buildings on the committee? Their mind will already be made up before the application is even submitted! The chair even made the point of reminding everybody that tall buildings are to be judged not just on the fact they are tall, but the benefits they bring.

But being a fan of tall buildings is an OK initial bias presumably?

It's a bit ridiculous. Of course all sorts of biases and emotiveness is going to be present.