City’s multi-storey ‘co-living’ building approved

Kieran Molloy, Local democracy reporter

Cardiff Council has approved plans to build a multi-storey “co-living” building in the heart of the city.

The construction would involve demolishing the buildings currently at 51 – 59 Penarth Road, Butetown, which include a former car wash and tyre shop.

A co-living space is a purpose-built development that provides smaller privately furnished rooms and larger shared communal spaces.

The size of the development is given in plans as being “high-density” and “up to nine storeys.”

During the meeting, council officer Steve Ball said these types of buildings “filled the gap” between student accommodation and studio flats.

While these types of buildings are becoming more popular in cities such as London and Manchester, they are relatively new in Cardiff.

Cllr Garry Hunt said: “We are a little bit in the dark, these are new ventures as far as we’re concerned”

Another member of the committee, Cllr Sean Driscoll, expressed concern over, in his opinion, the lack of amenity space and the size of the room.

He said: “I think the units are really small.”

He continued: “I know that if it were me, although I am a social person, I would be going stir crazy in a room of that size.”

Steve Ball replied: “You say you’d probably go stir crazy, I think I probably would as well but that doesn’t mean that [the rooms] are not right for the type of people that are attracted to this type of accommodation.”

Planning documents, lodged by Urban Centric (Penarth Road) Ltd, for the development read: “The designers sense history in this site and sort of want to capture its gritty industrial past.”

It continues: “Reuse of the existing buildings is not possible, but their style (warehouse) gives us a ‘hook’ from which to move forward.

The position of the site will reuse brownfield land while also “delivering high density which will enhance its sustainability value as a piece of land.”

It will also be able to take “full advantage” of active travel and public transport options.

“Workplace and leisure, recreation, shopping and convenience shopping” are within 500m of the site.

The “vision” of the proposal reads: “To build a new ‘place’ which embraced highway constraints and turned them into an advantage by shaping the architecture around the primacy of external space whilst operationally delivering the particular needs of co-living and fostering a sense of community by design.

“Using the sense of place to influence the design’s appearance.”