Work starts on new roof for east wing of Coal Exchange

THE next stage in the rebuilding of Cardiff Bay’s historic Coal Exchange building has got under way with the fitting of a new roof over the fire-damaged east wing.

The iconic Grade II listed Coal Exchange building was once the hub of trading in the coal industry and, it is said, in 1913 saw the world’s first £1m cheque being signed.

Signature Living, the Liverpool-based hotel developer which is developing the derelict building into a 200-bedroom luxury hotel, began work on the project in 2016.

The first phase of 40 bedrooms and the Grand Hall opened in May last year.

But now construction on the east wing of the famous building has started, following the completion of structural surveys and planning consent being granted by Cardiff council.

The construction of a further 50 bedrooms on the east wing phase is due to be completed by June.

A spokesman for the company said both the south and east side of the Coal Exchange building were completely destroyed by fire damage in the mid 1980s rendering most of the building derelict. Extensive dry rot had also spread throughout the structure of the building along with wide-scale subsidence, making parts of the building virtually uninhabitable.

The chairman of Signature Living, Lawrence Kenwright, said the Coal Exchange has been one of the most challenging rebuilding projects the company has had to undertake.

He added: “There was substantial fire damage to this section of the development and was one of primary reasons why other previous developers had not taken the project on previously.

“The Coal Exchange has been a real challenge for us but this is what we do best, taking old derelict buildings of great historical importance and breathing new life into them.

“With the East wing we have removed the old roof and put a brand new roof structure in place while replacing new floors, walls and windows.”

Signature Living is also carrying out further remedial works to the north west wing of the building where a major retaining wall had sunk and also taken part of the structure of the roof with it. Extensive underpinning and stitching works have now been completed which will reinforce the building’s structure.

Work on developing the north wing is expected to follow in the summer.