Old warehouse to be demolished and replaced with apartment blocks

Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter

An old warehouse in Cardiff city centre will be demolished to make way for two blocks of co-living apartments.

Cardiff Council’s planning committee praised the proposed location of the new blocks, which will replace Asset House in Penarth Road, at a meeting on Thursday, July 3.

However they also raised concerns about the proposed size of the accommodation units, which will not meet the minimum space standards for studio flats under the council’s current planning guidance.

Council planners explained that co-living accommodation units are usually smaller than traditional flats but added that this is compensated by amenity space on site.

‘Inoffensive’

Planning committee member, Cllr Peter Wong, described the proposal as a “really nice, simple, inoffensive… design” and said it made “really good use of a brownfield site”.

However he went on to criticise the number of proposed cycle spaces for the site, which will deliver 75% of the cycle parking required under the council’s planning guidance, and criticised the size of the accommodation units.

He added: “It is effectively in my eyes a high-rise HMO (house in multiple occupation).”

Both blocks, one six storeys in height and the other 13 storeys, will deliver 182 apartments.

There will also be commercial space on the ground floor of one block and internal amenity areas, like a communal plaza area, co-working rooms, a fitness room, cinema, games room, dining spaces, and roof gardens.

Individual private living spaces will range from 20.1sqm and 29.9sqm in size and include a living/dining area and a separate bathroom and bedroom.

Amenity space

Cllr Sean Driscoll said the proposal was “really good” but added that he also had concerns about the amenity space.

He said: “It does say in the report about internal kitchen and living space not being able to serve the number of residents on every floor.

“I get it that amenity space is being created elsewhere but also in the report it has concerns about the amount of amenity space that’s available… and I actually share that concern as well and I have doubts about whether it’s going to be enough.”

The two buildings replacing Asset House, which has been vacant for at least four years, will be the first purpose built co-living accommodation blocks in Wales according to a city planner.

Another co-living scheme is being developed in Cardiff but this involves the re-purposing of a former office block in the centre, Knox Court.

Cardiff Council doesn’t have any specific planning guidance on co-living apartments but standards adopted in London advocate for units that are between 22sqm and 27sqm.

The council’s planning guidance states that the minimum space standard for studio flats is 30sqm.

Cllr Emma Reid Jones said: “This is great use of space in an area that could really use with some regeneration.”

Concern

However she went on to add: “I really do have a concern that actually the concept will not match what the Welsh Government and… our local planning guidance says it should.”

Council planning officer Alexandra Richards said: “Yes [co-living apartments] are smaller than a traditional flat and the guidelines in the [planning guidance] relate to traditional or build-to-rent… flats.

“This does differ. It’s a flexible approach.

“It’s an all-in model and the increased amenity levels provided in comparison to a build to rent scheme… essentially offer the difference between the size of the flat in which people will be living in.”