I think this is sensible to prevent it clogging up other threads.

It's going to be a foot race between this and Bayscape. Christopher if you are reading this I'm throwing down the gauntlet.

Pics? Renders? Planning Ap?

personally, I would knock down Golate House and build a kitchen there.

Doesn't Cardiff have enough posh kitchens? Why can't we spend the money on schools and hospitals?

good point Dai - pretty selfish really, me me me that's Karl!!

I've heard that the cost of this renovation work has doubled as the Welsh government has insisted that 50% of the paint tins are labelled peint.
Can this be true?

I take it you've been reading Dan O'Neill's rabid rantings again! As any six-year old knows the Welsh word for "paint" is "paent". "Peint" means "pint". It is possible that Karl might want to buy a "peint o baent" in which case he'll need to watch out for the carrier bag charge as well as the soft mutation.

Things have hone suspiciously quiet on this. I suspect it's gone tits-up. A pity. It would have been a huge boost for Cardiff. Maybe it was a tad over-ambitous.

Nadolig Llawen, bawb. Merry Christmas, all.

Any news on this or has it gone 'bayscape on us'

The Council's bought a sink and some taps to"kick start" it.

I think you'll find it's the Welsh Government rather than the council.

Oh well annual budget spent then.

It's sad but it appears that, rather like Chistopher on the Bayscape thread, Karl has been put off posting updates here by the hostile attitude of some members of this forum.

Will we never learn that if we want developers to update us on schemes we need to treat them with deference and respect?

^^^^this

I also think that this sort of development will be the one that says Cardiff has finally arrived. for that reason we should all shown chairman karl and his thread a little more respect.

Constructive discussions took place with key commercial partners (B & Q) in 2013 Q1, but unfortunately some fiscal turbulence was experienced in Q2 and Q3 leading to a rethink about the scale of the project. Ongoing dialogue vis a vis leveraging funding took place over summer with work set to commence in autumn. Q4 was looking promising but a key stakeholder (the wife) failed to exercise budgetary control in the lead up to Christmas which has affected timescales.

Momentum has picked up recently with the acquisition of a wok and some carving knives from Ikea and if we can align ourselves with the improving economic situation work should be well underway as we enter Q3 2014. Projects of this nature are never easy. I know you are all eager to see progress - no-one more so than my missus as it happens - but the planning required to successfully deliver this type of landmark development necessitates caution.

I think this thread may need to be closed down as this is clearly not happening, another false dawn on the Cardiff development front! I sometimes wonder why we bother!!

Thanks for the update, Karl. I know a lot of people here can seem impatient but it's only because we want to see the project realised. As Jantra said it would be a real game-changer. Q3 2014 is a later start-date than many of us had hoped for, but it's good to know that the plans are only delayed not de-railed.

I'm interested that you seem to have chosen IKEA as one of your suppliers. Please don't take this the wrong way - but many developments of this kind go wrong because developers skimp on the finish. I would have thought for a project of this magnitude John Lewis might have been a better choice.

Have you settled on a kitchen operator yet? Are you planning to do it in-house or are you looking to out-source?

I'm hearing development has stalled due to the failure to finalise an S106 agreement, it's a shame because this type of development is just the kind of thing this area needs!

Thank you for your kind words Ash. Those not involved in large scale projects of this nature often underestimate the preparation involved. The work involved in progressing from a germ of an idea to actually laying the lino can be overwhelming.

I note your concerns about our supply chain. The idea was to source the best that there is to offer from a wide variety of suppliers rather than rely on one outlet which carries with it inherent dangers of over reliance. That is why I have also bought a roasting tin from Morrisons and a dishwasher from Gumtree in recent months.

I sense your nervousness about 'value engineering' which has blighted many recent developments in the city but rest assured the finished product will set a new benchmark for Cardiff. I imagine that once finished it will act as a catalyst for other important schemes such as waterproofing the shed and replacing the guttering.

Don't overextend your lines of credit Karl. It's that cavalier approach to property development that created the financial crash of 2007/8. Projects of this magnitude can have a wider impact on the economy as a whole

In the absence of renders from Karl I took the liberty of speculating on what sort of look he might go for.

Personaly I like a kitchen that does what it says on the tin. It shouldn't look like a sterile operating theatre but a living, breathing thing. Okay, the kitchen pictured may have taken things to extremes but a little bit of clutter creates character and speaks to the owner's creative, laid-back personality.

you can see karl has fused the obvious lines of the de stijl movement with a more modern twist taking hints from Jasper Conran. it shouldn't do, but this works

It's exactly the type of 'shabby chic' look I was after.

Karl, I'm gratified that you took our advice on the look of your project on board.

Going forward, I think you need to drill down into the granular details of the new paradigm. May I suggest the following 'must haves' for a twenty first century culinary design and preperation studio.

First of all no modern chef can live without soft fruit preperation devices. This banana-slicer is a must.



If your budget can stretch to it a hi-tech strawberry huller can be a deal-maker. It's surprising how many women - and some men - regard a strawberry huller as the key to a succesful relationship.

it looks more like a type of, ahem, plug