Development at historic Cardiff music venue unveiled
THE site of a former well-loved nightclub in Cardiff Bay has been redeveloped into a new apartment building.
The historic music venue Casablanca Club, which hosted performances by Aretha Franklin and Spandau Ballet, was redeveloped by Mount Stuart Square Developments following a £3.36m property development loan from the Development Bank of Wales.
The Casablanca building consists of 20 wholly rented one and two-bedroom apartments and a three-bedroom penthouse, along with 1,650sq ft of commercial space.
The development was also supported by the Cardiff branch of Swedish local relationship bank, Handelsbanken.
The bank agreed to refinance the
Development Bank’s loan once the property was completed so that Mount Stuart Square Developments could retain the property for rental.
The former Casablanca Club opened in 1965 but was demolished in the 1980s to make way for a car park. Before that, it was Bethel Chapel where Ivor Novello was baptised and dating back to the 1840s.
Dan Ronson, developer at Mount Stuart Square Developments, said: “We’re very lucky to have worked on the historic Casablanca nightclub, and hope that the new building will continue to play an important part in the life and history of Cardiff Bay.”
Martin Leech, corporate manager at Handelsbanken said: “Alongside the Development Bank of Wales, we are delighted to support Dan Ronson with this venture. It was a pleasure to work with DBW”.
Property development executive for the Development Bank, James Brennan said: ““We’re really pleased
that we were able to work with Mount Stuart Developments and Handelsbanken to bring this much-loved site back into good use.
“The Casablanca was an important place in the hearts of many in Cardiff, so it’s great that we’ve brought some life back to the site, and its successful regeneration means we can now look
ahead at the next chapter in its story.”
The Development Bank of Wales invests in residential, mixed use and commercial developments through the Wales Property Fund, Wales Commercial Property Fund and the Stalled Sites Fund.
These schemes are funded by the Welsh Government.