Museum, 711 student flats and hotel set for approval

A NUMBER of major buildings look set to be given planning approval next week.

A new museum in Cardiff, one of the city’s busiest student accommodation developments, and a new Premier Inn are all set to be approved.

The 248-room Premier Inn is planned for the site of Custom House and the former York Hotel in Custom House Street.

Most of the Custom House would be demolished under the plans but the facade kept.

The planning application says: “The Custom House was last used as office accommodation in the 1990s. It has subsequently benefited from several planning permissions, including change of use to a hotel, however none of these have come to fruition.

“The site was last occupied as a temporary homeless hostel.

“Taking into consideration the significant long-term vacancy of the site and associated marketing for Class B1 (Office) use, there is some policy justification to support the proposed change of use in this instance.”

The new building would bring the building back to life, according to the application.

Another scheme set for approval is building 711 student flats at the site of the former Evans Halshaw Citroen garage In East Bay Close in Atlantic Wharf.

The rooms, split between studio and cluster rooms, would be in an “H-shaped” block and would be 10 storeys high at its peak.

The ground floor would be made up of communal areas such as a laundry, gym, cinema and meeting rooms.

Developers say it will be a mainly carfree scheme, with just 32 spaces but there will be 240 spaces for bikes.

The developer will be asked to pay almost £400,000 towards the local community.

Objections have been made about traffic concerns.

A resident of Splott has written to the council saying that the scheme is “out of keeping” with the local area.

But planning officers wrote: “The proposals will redevelop a brownfield site and provide a significant quantum of purpose-built student housing in a location that is consistent with other development sites nearby.

“The quality of the layout and design is considered to enhance the appearance and amenity of the area.”

The final major development to be approved is the new Museum of Military Medicine in Cardiff Bay to be built between Lloyd George Avenue and Hemingway Road.

There has been a letter of support from the British Airways pension fund, which owns the neighbouring Travelodge and Red Dragon Centre, which says that it will “complete” the frontage of Hemingway Road and create a new piazza.

The planning committee meets County Hall at 1.30pm on Wednesday. at