Does anyone know what this new development on Albany Road is going to look like? I'm quite shocked that they've taken down the old brick facade. Obviously nothing is sacred anymore. That's Cardiff council for you. Cardiff is just gonna become an ugly, student city.

Sainsbury's i believe is going there.

Was it really necessary for them to make such a drastic change to the building?

The whole building is being demolished and rebuilt. It's not Sainsbury's but a developer who have leased the retail unit to them. There are going to be several student flats above.

There are so many more buildings in Albany Rd that are more deserving of demolition than this one - the Post Office for a start.

The worst of it is that the replacement building will not be some bold architectural statement but a rehash of what was there already without the charm, just reconfigured so that as many flats as possible can be squeezed in.

Albany Rd (especially towards the Wellfield Rd end) has some decent buildings and a really good mix of uses. Like all streets of this nature it has been battered by some filthy shop fronts and signs but with a bit of imagination, some guidance from the council, a few more sympathetic developers it could come into its own.

Wasn't it the case that the only way the building owner could break AG Meek's lease was to make plans to demolish the building?
I guess that they think they can make more rent from Sainsbury's and the flats than AG Meek?

Did AG Meek move to a different store in the Albany/Wellfield Road Area or did they close completely. I believe the city centre branch is still open.

AG Meek has moved a few doors down. It's half the size.

I hope this knocking of old buildings down to be replaced by student accommodation doesn't become a trend. There are plenty of empty spaces around, for example, the old garage towards the end of Albany Road. Why has no one snapped that up? I fear somebody will demolish The Gaiety one of these days.

Plans were approved for the albany road garage plot four or five years ago, basically flats with the design looking kind of like a continuation of the red brick buildings immediately to the east. But as we know, plans alone do not ensure building...