Council redevelops former office into unique affordable housing

Kieran Molloy, Local democracy reporter

New council homes set in a converted office block will provide affordable housing quite unlike a city’s other offerings.

The Scott Harbour development, at the junction of Pierhead Street and Bute Place in Cardiff Bay, is home to 78 council apartments enjoying an enviable location just minutes away from the waterside and on the doorstep of landmarks like the Senedd and Wales Millennium Centre.

The development has a mixture of one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom flats available and due to the building’s past many of the flats have unique features not typically found in council housing.

These include long corridors, wraparound layouts, large bay windows, and even a spiral staircase.

David Jaques, assistant director for development and regeneration at Cardiff council, said: “The style of flats, the shape of the flats, are quite unique because you’re dealing with an existing building so the external walls are fixed.”

He added: “Because it’s an existing building you have bigger windows, higher ceilings, and lovely quirky shapes to a lot of the flats which would be different to our standard build.”

The first phase of the development was completed in July 2025 and provided 33 flats. Now the remaining 45 homes are ready to be allocated to the city’s social housing list.

Scott Harbour is the first residential building in Cardiff to connect to the council’s new low-carbon district heat network providing sustainable heat and hot water as part of the city’s transition to greener energy systems.

The new homes are aimed at helping reduce pressure on the city’s waiting list.

The authority’s special lettings initiative aims to help families in Butetown in overcrowded properties move into more suitable accommodation while enabling others to downsize, which frees up additional homes for those in need.

Scott Harbour also features a courtyard at the back with community planters.

The development was delivered in partnership with property developer Rightacres.