Hundreds sign petition against plans for 29-storey tower block in Cardiff’s Guildford Crescent

500 people have signed an online petition launched by Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd candidate for Cardiff Central, Rodney Berman, opposing plans for a 29-storey tower block in Cardiff’s Guildford Crescent.

Guildford Crescent was mostly demolished two years ago, leaving just the facade of the old buildings.

The small street in the city centre was home to restaurants Madeira and Thai House, as well as the popular music venue Gwdihŵ.

On top of official objections, more than 20,000 people signed a petition calling on Cardiff Council to save the street and a demonstration against the demolition attracted over 1,000 people.

London-based developer Galliford Try is now in the early stages of applying for planning permission to build a 262-apartment block on the street.

It has asked Cardiff council’s planning department whether it needs an environmental impact assessment because of the size of the proposed development.

In a letter, which was made public, the council’s head of planning said they didn’t need one.

The new petition is urging the owners of the site, and their agents, to come up with a development proposal which would be more sympathetic to the historical context of the location.

“This is an amazing response and demonstrates there is huge strength of feeling amongst the wider Cardiff community,” Mr Berman said.

“A 29-storey, 262-unit tower block would be significantly out of sympathy with the retained facades and the historical context of this site.

‘Trashed’

“Many people share my concern that our heritage is being steadily trashed and that the council’s current Labour administration is increasingly presiding over an ‘anything goes’ attitude to the city’s built environment with insufficient control over what constitutes good architectural design.

“I would note that the latest proposal attracting huge criticism is the application to demolish Harlech Court, the site currently occupied by another city centre music venue Porters, to make way for a 35-storey apartment block.

“In the wake of this petition, I hope that the owners of the Guildford Crescent site will now start listening to the community and think again.”