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Ex-Lord Mayor of Cardiff ‘p****d off’ council couldn’t stop demolition of historic Victorian pub

19 Nov 2021 2 minute read
The Roath Park pub. Photo via Google.

A former Lord Mayor of Cardiff has said that he is “p****d off” that the council “didn’t have the power to stop” the demolition of Victorian pub.

Labour councillor Dan De’Ath was reacting to the news that a plan to knock down the Roath Park pub on the corner of City Road and Kincraig Street in the Welsh capital, has been approved.

Last year, developers applied for planning permission from Cardiff council to demolish the pub, which was previously run by SA Brains, and build a seven-storey block of flats.

That application was then withdraw, and they applied instead to demolish it without building anything in its place. The council’s planning department granted permission this week in a blow to the city’s heritage.

Cllr De’Ath took to social media and said: “So pissed off that @cardiffcouncil didn’t have the power to stop this.

“@JoStevensLabour and Plasnewydd Councillors are trying to meet with the Roath Park’s owner to ask him to reconsider demolition. Not too late for him to change his mind.”

Social media expert Owen Williams responded: “Oh well. There’s obviously nothing @WelshLabour-run Cardiff Council can do about it.

“After all, the council can’t exactly take it up with the constituency @WelshLabour MP.

“And God forbid it speaks with the @WelshLabour-run Welsh Government”.

Welsh Government minister Lee Waters replied: “You ought to do a little thread on how the planning system works Owen. You’d find it instructive”.

‘Came under fire’ 

The demolition application came under fire from local residents, and 60 wrote to the council to object.

One said: “This is part of the historical fabric of the city and our identity and it is a disgrace to our generation to allow these beautiful buildings of our community to be destroyed, for what? For the financial gains of faceless corporations who care nothing for this city.”

Another said: “The Roath Park pub is a historic building with a legacy of being a longstanding community hub, both as a pub and as a venue for artistic and creative events. Unless the proposed development intends to retain aspects of this purpose, there is the risk it will be contributing to the ongoing harmful gentrification of our city.”


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Ricknorth
Ricknorth
2 years ago

They could have designated it as a listed building or refused its demolition. Is complete rubbish that the planning dept were incapable stopping this trajedy. I presume that the planning commitee voted this through unless its approval was conducted through delegated powers. Something wrong in the state of Denmark as the old saying goes.

BobSnail
BobSnail
2 years ago
Reply to  Ricknorth

Cadw could have been asked to get involved and list the building as a scheduled monument. That would have given it some more protection.

Glen
Glen
2 years ago
Reply to  BobSnail

Cadw are only interested in protecting piles of stone left by the Normans.

Glen
Glen
2 years ago

Cardiff is THE capital not ‘the Welsh capital’, that’s WOL speak.

Wynford Jones
Wynford Jones
2 years ago
Reply to  Glen

Yes. And in a Welsh space the North should be “the North”, not “the north of Wales”. The latter is tautologous

Geoffrey ap.
Geoffrey ap.
2 years ago

As someone who lives in a listed building, believe me Cafe are not interested in getting involved in saving old buildings. They are experts at fence sitting and passing on responsibility to others. I don’t know what they do, but they won’t get involved in any way in the struggle to save historic buildings.

Geoffrey ap.
Geoffrey ap.
2 years ago

Auto correct again, it’s not cafe it’s Cadw.

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