Council could sell historic Cardiff building

Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter

One of Cardiff’s most historic buildings is set to be made available to the market by the city council.

A Cardiff Council report on the local authority’s heritage assets is being brought before council cabinet members at a meeting on Thursday, November 21.

In the report, the council states that after taking professional advice it wishes to start the process of attracting investment to Mansion House, in Richmond Crescent, via a property transaction.

It also states that the Grade II listed building, where functions and events are held, is underutilised and costs a lot to keep open.

Options

The market exercise proposed for Mansion House seeks to open up a conversation with the private sector around any potential options that could secure enough funding to preserve it.

The council report also gives updates on The Old Library on The Hayes and Merchant Place/Cory’s Buildings, where work to transform the structures into a new education facility for Cardiff Sixth Form College is expected to be completed by summer, 2026.

A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “These buildings help define Cardiff’s history and character and as their custodians, the council is taking steps to protect and preserve them for future generations.

“Following the council’s intervention, the refurbishment of Merchant Place and the Cory’s Buildings is well underway and these important heritage buildings will soon be brought back into use at no cost to the taxpayer.

“Now the council are looking to secure a sustainable long-term future for the historic Grade II listed Mansion House, by beginning a process aimed at securing capital investment on the open market.

“Subject to agreement by cabinet and all other parties, the council will also take the opportunity offered by Virgin Money’s proposed early surrender of their lease on a ground floor unit of the Old Library, to help accelerate the Royal Welsh College of Drama’s plans for investment in the building.”

Lease

Virgin Money’s lease for the ground floor unit of The Old Library was originally in place until June, 2034.

Subject to approval by all parties, the lease will be amended and RWCMD will take on responsibility for this additional area of the building.

Cardiff Council said The Museum of Cardiff would be unaffected by this change.

Mansion House, built in the 1890s, was once the city’s mayor’s residence. In recent times it has been used for events hosted by the lord mayor.

As part of its wider plan to bridge a multi-million pound funding gap, the council announced this year that it wanted to explore options for leasing Mansion House out to third parties.

Underutilised

The council report going to cabinet this week states: “On the whole the property is underutilised with the first floor rarely used and the second floor mothballed due to poor condition.

“The property has not been subject to any significant investment over recent years to avoid potentially abortive spend whilst the council considers the future of the building. Instead, only essential repairs have been undertaken.

“Various fabric, M&E and structural issues have been identified that would require significant capital investment, however this would only be justified if the council had a long-term operational use for the property.”

Work is being undertaken to identify alternative accommodation options for civic functions delivered from Mansion House.

Subject to agreement by cabinet, the property is expected to be made available to the market towards the end of the current financial year.

The results of this process will then be reported back to cabinet for a decision on the preferred way forward.