QUAY TO SUCCESS
PLANS REVEALED FOR MAJOR NEW OFFICE BLOCK AT HEART OF CENTRAL QUAY DEVELOPMENT AT CITY CENTRE BRAINS SITE
PLANS for a major 12-storey financial building have been unveiled as part of a huge redevelopment in the heart of Cardiff.
The proposed Central Quay project would see a riverfront regeneration scheme at the current Brains brewery site.
And now the developer behind the ambitious project has launched a consultation with the local community.
Rightacres Property has written to hundreds of residents and businesses in the Grangetown and Riverside areas inviting them to have a direct say and input on the master planning for what would be the biggest commercial property scheme ever seen in Wales.
Over time, Central Quay could see 2.5 million square feet of new office, leisure – including bars and shops – and residential space built alongside the River Taff.
It would create thousands of new jobs and provide a major boost to the economy of the city and the wider Cardiff Capital Region.
The first phase will focus on part of the existing SA & Brain brewery and office site.
This includes plans for a landmark office building targeting companies in the financial and professional services sector.
The 12-storey building’s architects are Rio, which designed the awardwinning One Central Square office scheme in the city centre.
A detailed planning application for the first phase Central Quay office project, along with a multistorey car park for 650 vehicles and a 200-bedroom hotel, is expected to be submitted to Cardiff council in the new year.
If approved, the three projects will be located on the existing SA Brain car park site, allowing the brewer to continue to operate while it builds a new operation elsewhere in the city. It has drawn up a shortlist of possible locations and a decision on its preferred site is expected to be confirmed shortly.
The financial centre at Central Quay would also have a dedicated food hall, which would target local food and drink producers. Subject to planning, work would start later next year and be completed by the summer of 2020.
There is understood to be keen interest in the building from existing firms in South Wales as well as businesses looking to relocate to Wales.
Legal & General, which currently employs 1,400 in the city at offices at Brunel House and Knox Court, has been linked to a new HQ in the centre of Cardiff.
Cardiff Metropolitan University has Central Quay on its shortlist of two locations – the other being land at Callaghan Square – for its proposed new School of Technologies, which could open in 2020 for about 2,000 students.
The SA Brain site could accommodate up to 1.5 million square feet of mixed-use development. However, this could increase to more than two million square feet if combined with six acres of Network Rail land, at what is currently a car park next to Cardiff Central Station.
The masterplan includes a twoacre site owned by Vastint currently used as a BMW car dealership on Penarth Road.
The listed brewing building and iconic Brains chimney would remain as features at Central Quay. While there are no confirmed plans yet for the brewery building, it is understood that it could become a new hub location for start-up businesses and entrepreneurs.
Chief executive of Rightacres Paul McCarthy said the consultation would be a collaborative process.
He said: “Our experience shows that early consultation with the local residents and businesses can generate the kind of ideas and experiences that will enrich the final scheme and contribute to its success. It’s also important that we have a forum through which any concerns can be communicated.”
He added: “As well as providing modern, hi-tech workplaces, the development will include food markets for local producers and space for creative businesses that will attract visitors and create a vibrant meeting space for locals. Central Quay will become an integral part of the city for businesses, visitors and residents.”
A pre-planning consultation website for the scheme has now gone live at www.centralquay.co.uk
Grangetown councillor Lynda Thorne said: “We welcome this proactive approach by the developer. There is no doubt that a development of this scale can directly affect the local community and having a platform through which concerns and ideas can be communicated is a good idea.
“It is important though that the developer takes note of what is said over the coming months and reflects local people’s concerns and aspirations in the final design proposal.”