Plans for huge new building in city centre approved

Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter

Plans to build a 28-storey student accommodation building in Cardiff city centre have been given the go-ahead.

The new tower will be built where Friary House in Greyfriars Road, formerly occupied by the nightclub Tiger Tiger, currently stands.

Some objectors to the plans questioned whether there was a need for more student accommodation in the city but council officials pointed out that demand has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cardiff Council’s planning committee voted unanimously in favour of approving the building, which will include commercial floorspace on the ground floor and a roof terrace on the 11th floor.

‘Rundown area’

One member of the planning committee, Cllr Michael Michael, suggested the building will offer an improvement to what he called a “pretty rundown area in my view”.

He also said he was perturbed by the objections of Principality Building Society, which has a building nearby.

The company said they are concerned about the impact the height of the building will have on the natural light that its building receives, adding that it may apply to turn it into accommodation in the future.

In a letter sent to the council in August 2023 Principality Building Society said “the significant increase in height compared with the existing building will have a profound impact on the daylight received”.

Daylight and sunlight assessments have been completed as part of the planning process for the development and it took into account nearby accommodation including Park Plaza Hotel and Grosvenor House.

Another member of the planning committee, Cllr Adrian Robson, said the scheme was of a “much higher quality” than some student accommodation schemes that are brought forward.

The development will not have any car parking but there will be 212 cycle parking spaces internally and 16 spaces outside.

Parking provision

Cllr Robson said he appreciated the thinking behind this but questioned whether future parking provision might need to be considered for students who are moving in and out of their accommodation.

He added: “What about those periods of time when there are students descending on the city… when term starts and term finishes?”

There is a condition attached to the council’s approval of the planning application which requires the submission and approval of a student traffic management plan before any accommodation is occupied.

A council report states that this should include, but not be limited to, the management of student arrival and departure at the start and end of term time.

The developers, Topland Mercury Ltd and Colico Living Ltd, will contribute about £490,000 towards public realm improvements around the building and £204,761 towards road and bus infrastructure improvements.