City pub could still be saved from demolition
THE Roath Park pub in Cardiff could still be saved despite plans to demolish it being approved.
Last week, Cardiff council granted permission for the developers of the Victorian pub on City Road to knock it down, although it still remains unclear what, if anything, will be built in its place.
Now those who have campaigned against the pub’s demolition say it is “not too late” to save it following “positive discussions” with the building’s owner, who remains open to selling the building to be run as a pub.
Councillor Pete Wong said he “remained hopeful” about the pub’s future following a meeting with the owner last week.
“We’re very pleased about what was discussed,” he said. “The owner said that he would be open to selling if we could identify someone who was interested in taking it over and running it as a pub.
“Of course, there’s nothing concrete in place yet, but the story of the Roath Park pub has generated quite a bit of interest. At the moment, we don’t know quite how genuine that interest is, and all interested parties would have to negotiate directly with the owner, but we’ll have to wait and see.
“It’s great to know that the offer is there, and we are very thankful to the owners for being open to other possibilities other than demolition and giving us this genuine opportunity to save the pub.”
Fellow Plasnewydd councillor Daniel De’Ath added: “It’s great that the pub’s owner was willing to engage with us and the meeting we had with him was really positive. We explained how much the pub meant to people and asked him whether, if someone was to come forward with a sensible, robust plan to run this building again, he would give it serious consideration - and he said he would.
“It would be awful to see this beautiful, historic building demolished, and the good news now is that it’s not too late to save it. A few people have come forward with ideas already, and we’d encourage anyone who is interested to get in touch with the owner.”
Jo Stevens, MP for Cardiff Central, also attended the meeting with the pub’s owner, and said: “It’s very welcome news that there’s still a chance to save the Roath Park.
“I applaud the hard work of our dedicated Plasnewydd Councillors and local residents in the campaign, which I fully support, to save this valuable heritage asset for our community here in Roath.
“The Roath Park is the last remaining Victorian-era pub on City Road. I really hope a solution can be found to secure the long-term future of the pub and I would urge anyone interested in being a part of it to come forward.”
The owner’s planning consultant, Gwilym Powys Jones, said his client was a “reasonable person” who was “perfectly happy” to cooperate with those involved.
“He was more than happy to meet with the local ward councillors and remains totally open-minded about the situation,” he said. “Those at the meeting requested some time to organise the possibility of reopening the pub and he, of course, agreed to it.
“He is totally prepared to listen to offers and suggestions for the building, as long as they make financial sense. The matter is now in the councillors’ court to see if they can come up with something and pursue it further.”
The Roath Park pub is on the corner of City Road and Kincraig Street, and was previously run by SA Brain.
Last year, developers applied for planning permission from the council to demolish the pub and build a seven-storey block of flats, although they later withdrew that application, and applied instead to demolish it without plans to build anything in its place.
The new application drew heavy criticism from local residents, with a campaign launched to save the historic building and around 60 people writing to the council to object, slamming the proposals as “a disgrace”.
The council received heavy criticism last week after approving the controversial plans, prompting the council leader to call for changes to the planning system to protect Cardiff’s architectural heritage.