‘Words escape me’ – go-ahead for flats ‘another nail in coffin of capital’s heritage and culture’
On Friday, we reported how plans have been approved for a 30-storey apartment tower on Guildford Crescent in Cardiff on the controversial site of a former music venue. The scale of the tower block prompted an angry response from opponents, with one councillor asking: ‘Is this the way we want our city to be looking?’ Reporter John Jones investigates further...
IT’S been more than two years since an iconic part of Cardiff’s cultural history was reduced to rubble. In September 2019, Guildford Crescent was largely demolished, including the popular music venue Gwdihw, which was knocked down despite a fierce campaign opposing the plans, which included a 20,000-name petition and a protest march.
The decision was met with outrage from campaigners, who argued that the street’s demolition would mean the loss of a thriving music venue and cultural asset, as well as one of the only remaining parts of “old Cardiff” in the city centre.
However, the development was to become even more controversial as developers pitched plans for a 30-storey apartment block to be built on the site of Gwdihw. Last week, those plans were approved, as Cardiff council’s planning committee granted permission for the huge tower to built, despite concerns raised over the height, design and accessibility of the building.
The new development’s approval has been branded “ridiculous” and “a disaster” by critics, while those who held Gwdihw close to their heart, such as music blogger and campaigner Dan Minty, said: “Words escape me”.
While the site’s future now looks to be decided, it is just the latest turn in the saga of Guildford Crescent.
Campaigning to save the street actually dates back to the 1980s. Standing on what is now the site of the Ibis hotel for more than 120 years, Guildford Crescent Swimming Baths had taught generations of people to swim – but was closed in 1984 and then demolished.
Plans to knock it down sparked a huge outcry and led to a campaign to save it which was backed by over 5,000 people.
More than 30 years later, there was further outrage on Guildford Crescent as plans were submitted to demolish the buildings on the street, leaving only the Grade II-listed Masonic Hall.
In December 2018, the Rapport family, who owned the buildings, submitted a demolition application to Cardiff council, with Guildford Crescent’s previous tenants – Gwdihw and the former Madeira and Thai House restaurants – having to leave a month later after the landlords did not renew their leases.
The distinctive, brightly painted music venue had only just celebrated its 10th anniversary that November, while the owner of the Thai restaurant, which had been on the street for more than 20 years, was also left devastated by the news.
The restaurant was opened in 1985 by Noi Ramasut from Bangkok and his Welsh wife Arlene Thomas. Their daughter Tamsin Ramasut, who was running the spot at the time, said previously: “What gives a city its character is its independent businesses. You take them out of the city and what are you left with, a city that looks like everywhere else.”
In January, the plans were put on hold for three months, after the Rapport family agreed to postpone demolition following a meeting with council leader Huw Thomas.
Rather than seeing the buildings demolished completely, the council revealed an ambition to incorporate a redeveloped and enhanced Guildford Crescent into a new canal quarter, which would see the old waterway buried under Churchill Way being reinstated.
Following the meeting, Councillor Thomas said: “The council is very aware of the public concern caused by the potential loss of the Madeira restaurant, the Thai House and the independent music venue Gwdihw, and we are actively working with Gwdihw to help
them relocate in the city if the need arises.”
However, the demolition’s postponement didn’t stop more than 1,000 people marching on Guildford Crescent just days later, with protesters packing Womanby Street to a fanfare of music and banners as they walked to the threatened site.
A petition was also signed by 20,000 people to try and save the businesses on the street, as campaigners argued it would “be a crime” if they were knocked down.
Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens was among those who backed the campaign, saying: “Cardiff needs its independent venues. It also needs its architecture and beautiful streets like Guildford Crescent. It’s what makes our capital distinctive. We will become a city of flats if we’re not careful.”
Labour AMs Julie Morgan and Jenny Rathbone also wrote a letter to Cllr Thomas, urging the local authority to “preserve Guildford Crescent’s special architecture and history by implementing the conservation area as soon as possible, to prevent these historic venues from being lost”.
The council consulted on a proposal to designate the street as a conservation area, which would have lent it protection against demolition, with Cadw, which listed the Masonic Lodge in the Crescent in 1975, undertaking assessments to see if the other buildings should have been listed.
Cllr Thomas said at the time: “The creation of a conservation area is a completely distinct matter. That decision has to be taken based on the architectural or historical significance of the area, the character or appearance of which is desirable to preserve or enhance. We are continuing to investigate the viability of such an order.”
In March, “an autonomous direct action group” calling themselves the Guildford Peasants occupied the buildings on the street in an attempt to stop bulldozers moving in.
They said: “These buildings have been a part of Cardiff for hundreds of years.
“It is shameful that such a significant part of our lives and our city’s history can be brushed away without our consent.”
However, while the group – who were later served an eviction notice – were committed in their efforts, they ultimately came to nothing as plans to knock down the terrace were finally approved in July.
It was confirmed that only the facades and front roof panes of the 19th-century buildings would remain after the demolition plans were approved, with the Rapport family opting to keep their curved frontages in place with scaffolding following negotiations with the council.
The rest of the buildings would be completely demolished, as the crescent was not made a conservation area – meaning demolishing them was a “permitted development” under planning law.
Demolition began weeks later and, by October, all that remained was the building fronts and scaffolding.
Then in early 2021, developers submitted proposals for the site, including one for a 29-storey apartment tower block.
Around the same time, controversial plans for Wales’ tallest building – a 35-storey tower – were proposed to replace Harlech Court on Bute Terrace in the city centre.
Residents voiced their opposition to the plans, which would see popular pub and music venue Porter’s knocked down, describing them as “anonymous, dreadful and misguided” and an example of “big developers who add nothing to the city”.
Months later, developers GallifordTry put plans for the tower on Guildford Crescent, which by now had been increased to 30 storeys, to Cardiff council’s planning committee, and they were finally approved on November 3.
The tower will include 272 apartments, comprising 140 one-bed flats and 132 two-bed flats, which will be classed as “build-to-rent”, meaning none will be available to buy individually. Instead, the flats will be sold to an institutional investor and rented out to future tenants.
At 30 storeys, the tower will be four storeys taller than the nearby Bridge Street Exchange student flats building.
Council planning officers asked GallifordTry for £4.8m in planning obligations “to mitigate any significant adverse impacts” of the tower and to provide “essential, enabling and necessary infrastructure” – this included £232,599 for community facilities, £435,356 for public open space, and £4,181,800 for affordable housing.
But the developers said they would not make enough profit if they had to pay the full Section 106 costs, so agreed with the council to pay £500,000 instead, to “enhance the public realm”, about 10% of what was first asked.
Meanwhile, councillors on the planning committee raised concerns about the height of the building, lack of disabled parking, and architectural design – but seven still voted in favour of granting permission while three voted against. Most of the facade from the original buildings will be included in the apartment tower, apart from the section which used to be the frontage of the Gwdihw music venue.
Understandably, the decision to approve the building of the tower prompted an angry response from other councillors and local residents.
Councillor Iona Gordon said: “I have grave concerns about this height, and this kind of development. Is this the way we want our city to be looking, with flats at such a height?”
Councillor Lyn Hudson added: “It’s ridiculous. I can’t understand how this is acceptable in a heritage area. It’s compounding a mistake into a disaster. No car-parking directly compromises the disabled and their ability to live in this area.”
Posting on Twitter, graphic designer Barry Richards said: “This 30-storey tower on Guildford Crescent should never have been approved by Cardiff council.
“We’ve enough big ugly towers already. How can you decide the developer should pay £4.1m towards affordable housing, but then accept only £500k?
Another tweeted: “This ghastly monstrosity is another nail in the coffin of Cardiff’s heritage and culture,” while a third simply added: “Shameful”.
There has been no announcement yet on when building work is set to begin on the development.