Plans submitted to turn historic building into city centre flats

Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter

Plans have been submitted to turn a grade II-listed building in the centre of Cardiff into flats.

The plans are for 12 flats and a shop on the ground level in the building formerly occupied by Kitchens Cookshop on High Street.

Plans under the same description were approved by the council on October, 28, 2021, but the building has remained undeveloped since then.

If approved, the 12 apartments would be made up of 10 studios, one single-bedroom apartment and one two-bedroom apartment.

Conservation area

The building on High Street, which is next to High Street Arcade, sits within the St Mary Street conservation area.

A design and access statement, prepared on behalf of Thackeray Estates Group, said the proposal has been “carefully formed with consideration for the retention of the existing historic fabric at the first floor”.

It also states all existing windows at the front of the building will be retained and refurbished where required.

When plans for the flats on High Street were approved in 2021, a condition was attached to the application stating work must start within three years from the date of planning permission being granted.

Variation

As part of the new application, a variation of this condition is requested, which calls for an extension of the expiration date by a further two years.

Kitchens Cookshop closed in 2019 after 30 years of trading on High Street.

At the time, Procook took over the brand and with the building’s lease about to come to an end, the company decided to close the store.

The space left by the popular kitchenware store on High Street was eventually filled by Great Welsh Gifts, which later moved to a premises on the opposite side of the street.

All of the flats would be on the upper three floors of the building, which is described in the design and access statement as “vacant commercial accommodation”.

It reads: “The aim is to create a new an effective mixed-use development that can regenerate and integrate with the already established surrounding community.”

As part of the new development, there would also be 14 cycle spaces, residential refuse storage and commercial refuse storage.