Demolition of former Llanishen tax office gets under way

Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter

Demolition of the former tax offices in Cardiff has commenced, with the council estimating the work could take a year.

Cardiff Council approved plans to demolish the former HMRC office building off Ty Glas Road in Llanishen in August 2022 subject to conditions.

The Ty Glas site was acquired by the local authority in 2021 with a view to potentially using it for the construction of a new school.

However in its announcement that demolition work has commenced the council said there are currently no specific plans for the site.

Cardiff Council’s cabinet member for investment and development, Cllr Russell Goodway, said: “We understand that a demolition of this scale and over such a period of time will be of concern to some people in the area but want to give reassurances that plans are in place to ensure the impact of this work is minimised as much as possible.

“We know there will be some disruption and in advance we are grateful for residents’ and local businesses’ patience as we carry out this work that will ultimately pave the way for considerable investment in education provision in this part of the city in the future.”

Consultation

In reference to the development of the site the council said any future plans would be subject to consultation and community engagement.

The contractors who are carrying out the demolition, Erith, have been on the site since March carrying out work to remove non-structural fixtures and fittings.

All asbestos will be removed from each building before demolition and special enclosures will be built around the asbestos work area.

The main access for the site will be situated opposite Marks & Spencer on the nearby retail park and it is not envisaged that any roads will be closed.

More recently the former tax office was used as a pop-up recycling facility.

Located in the car park of the former office the pop-up recycling facility was the first of its kind in Cardiff and opened in March 2022 to encourage the recycling of larger household items.