‘Let’s get on with the job’ – council backs bus station plan

CARDIFF council cabinet members have thrown their support behind plans for the city’s bus station.

Members called for work to begin on the multi-million-pound scheme project days after a shock announcement that it cannot go ahead in its current form, according to the developer.

The project was given planning approval in March based on there being a bus station on the ground floor, a car park on the first floor, and five storeys of office space and 195 flats taking up the 14-storey building on the Wood Street side.

But developers stated the private flats should be replaced with an unspecified number of student flats.

Cabinet member for investment and development councillor Russell Goodway said: “Let’s just get on and do it.”

Council leader Huw Thomas added: “In terms of capacity, it will be delivering 50% more than the old bus station.

“I think that we will look back in 25 years’ time and see it’s a kickstarter of the city.”

Council documents from the meeting at City Hall yesterday showed developer Rightacres has now submitted a proposal to the council with a “market-driven” financial plan.

The document states that the cabinet is recommended to: “Allow the developer to maximise capital receipts for the commercial floor space within the bus interchange development by allowing end use to be driven by market demand.”

It adds the developer is looking to secure student accommodation at the Wood Street end of the development to replace the plan for private units.

Any changes to student accommodation would need a new planning application that would delay plans for work to start on the three-year building project.

Documents show that Rightacres will continue its office scheme for the Saunders Road end of the development but will only begin that scheme once more than 50% of the office area is let.

Both the council and Rightacres have been pursuing potential occupiers which “have the potential” to be secured in the next few months.

It adds that if tenants are not secured within a “reasonable”