‘Affordable’ homes plan for historic former pub
A HISTORIC Cardiff pub is set to be demolished and turned into affordable homes.
The Gower Hotel in Cathays could be replaced with five two-storey houses and six apartments if planning permission is granted.
Former owner Brains closed the pub in 2014 because, as the brewery stated at the time, “The Gower has seen steady decline for a number of years and was unfortunately no longer commercially viable”.
Developer Hafod Housing Association has since bought the site of the red brick pub in Gwennyth Street, which is believed to have been built in 1895.
It is now planning to raze the pub to the ground and build 11 affordable homes - which include five two-bed houses, two one-bed wheelchair accessible apartments and four twobed apartments.
There would be no on-site parking spaces - a statement from the developer has said studies as part of a previous planning application for the site have indicated a “reasonable availability” of on street parking in the area.
A planning statement, prepared by Kennedy James Griffiths, states a noparking development would encourage people to travel by more sustainable means, and can be justified because the site is located on the edge of Cardiff city centre.
The statement says: “The proposal is for a high-quality development to address an identified need for new affordable housing within Cardiff.
“The site is in an accessible and sustainable location with easy access to many local facilities and public transport options.
“The proposal has minimal impact on adjacent occupiers and has no impact on their amenity.”
A consultation will be launched on the plans before the council makes a decision on the application.
Since 2014, several plans to redevelop the pub have fallen down and the site has changed hands several times, the statement says.
A proposal to demolish the pub and build 24 apartments there was refused by the council’s Planning Committee in April 2016, and an appeal was rejected by a Planning Inspector in the following January.
The committee rejected the plans due to the proposed design of the development.
In October 2017, planning permission was approved for a development of nine three-bedroom homes and one two-bed home, but despite this the pub has since remained standing.