Restaurant plan for city play centre

A PIONEERING children’s play centre in Cardiff could be turned into a restaurant under new plans.

When Cafe Junior on Fanny Street in Cathays first opened in 2004, its large play area and coffee shop – complete with healthy, organic and fairtrade snacks – marked it out as an innovative venture in the city.

But it has faced a downturn in trade since a boom in other children’s play centres in the city.

The developer, CDF Planning, warns that the current venue is “most likely to close as a consequence”.

The developer said by being given permission to do that, it “essentially seeks to keep the building in use by changing the type of business in operation, thus avoiding the building becoming vacant and unused”.

An application to be allowed to turn it into a restaurant has now been granted by Cardiff council.

The Grade II-listed building was Cathays Methodist Church’s Sunday school before becoming derelict by the turn of the century.

But thanks to a £500,000 renovation it was turned into Cafe Junior in 2004.

It now contains a main play area, a small kitchen and counter area, two small rooms for private classes, a gym area and two toilets.

CDF Planning says: “The application design seeks to develop a high-quality scheme which takes maximum advantage of the building being listed”.

The proposed floor plan shows that original features, including the windows, beams and plasterwork, will be kept, with tables ranging from two to eight seats being introduced.

Cardiff council has granted permission for the change in use, with conditions.

These include that the building will only be used as a restaurant, cafe or coffee shop and for no other purpose.

Sound insulation also has to be installed, and people can only be on the premises between 9am and 10.30pm.