if
it's about Cardiff..
Sport, Entertainment, Transportation, Business,
Development Projects, Leisure, Eating, Drinking,
Nightlife, Shopping, Train Spotting! etc.. then we want it here!
As someone who regularly submits planning applications in both England & Wales I can say from my experience there is no difference between local authorities in England and Wales. both systems are the same bureaucratic process.
Also - Detailed structural designs for piling are very expensive and rely on a lot of information gathering (core samples etc.) The design is sometimes still being worked on during the start of construction. Planning applications are often submitted without the full information to ensure it will be approved and any issues sorted prior to starting. Conditions like this are normal and will be discharged as part of the process.
If such checks weren't in place then more things like this http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/cardiff-man-vows-fight-keep-1855134 would happen.
I don't know the nature of your house, Jantra, but things like this are used for a reason not just for shits and giggles.
What possible reason could it be that the council wants to stop me putting a French door in place of a window (or at least be informed of it) but allow others in the neighbourhood to have them as part of the new build?
Do French doors kill all crops within 50 miles? Do French door give kids cancer? What possible reason could it be that a council would want to know about this 'development'
As for your article, I can't see why there is a problem. It's his house, the windows needed replacing. Surely an individual should be free to choose the style of window they prefer. Such 'conservation' areas are a tool of state oppression. It is one person or a group of people deciding what is important and forcing their views on others who may not share those views.
It also has to be said that it cannot be a good use of planning officers time, taxpayers money or use of the courts time to argue a point about a window. There isn't a rational reason why the council would follow this up other than to control how an individual wants to live. Its a disgrace that the state would seek to oppress an individual in this way. What harm to society will come from having these windows in situ?
The difference is because Pen-y-Lan is a conservation area. The houses need to be protected. There is no problem with him replacing the windows, in fact the council allowed it. The problem is HOW he chose to replace them. The council said they needed to be similar and timer and uPVC are not similar.
Like I said, I don't know what your house is like whether it is Victorian and in need of preservation or a newer build where something like replacing a window with French windows would be less of a problem.
We do not own buildings. We look after them for future generations.
Work to start very shortly according to the video in this article http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/watch-businessman-behind-cardiffs-ambitious-7260946
quite good news too that they are in talks with 3 different employers for 2 Capital Square.
Yup that is all quite promising. Seems like this is the new "on the go" development. With Capital Quarter also doing not too badly either.
On the other hand, the Bay seems to have slowed right down. Not much else happening in Roath Basin. Cardiff Waterside looking to have stalled now the BBC has decided to go to the city centre (which really is understandable from a staff point of view). And nothing whatsover happening in the old Butetown area suggesting the council's plans for the Coal Exchange will have to be pretty special to drive investment in that area.
In terms of the 100,000 square foot occupier, who could it be?
Well one is Legal and General obviously. The other is Hugh James. But would be much better if it were one of the 'inward investors' looking to move some functions from London. And here the article itself says: PwC, HSBC and Barclays are considering the city. And previous articles have said an inward investor is looking to bring perhaps 1000 jobs to the city - which would equate to, you've guessed it, about 100,000 square feet.
- Barclays, HSBC and PwC are potentially looking for space on
top of the usual suspects like L&G and the various legal entities
- Planning permission for number 2 is being talked about
already (in relation to one of the above hopefully)
- Hopefully we get a start date on number 1 on July 14th as mentioned
I agree about the Bay, I'm really curious about what Aviva and Igloo will do next. That GloWorks building is designed to be one of a few and it's going to look quite lonely for a few years unless Igloo and the Welsh Assembly fancy taking some risk with more speculative space. There's meant to be some residential at Porth Teigr as well but nothing has been mentioned for years.
As for Cardiff Waterside, Number 3 has been filling up quite well so would they be prepared to build speculatively when most potential occupiers would be drawn to the enterprise zone city centre developments ? That Number 1 and Number 2 plot at Assembly Square doesn't look like being built any time soon but the more worrying part of their development is Pierhead Street. Maybe a change of use would be on the cards there ? Maybe residential ?
I'm increasingly thinking the pierhead street site might be used for the Arena/Conference centre that Cardiff Council want to build - if that still goes ahead - and if its big enough (I've looked, and it might be a bit tight).
Why? Because it looks like they've lost the Callaghan Square site with the WG building more offices on the south side of the square. Phase I could commence relatively shortly, although that could then lead to a bit of a glut on the market (given Capital Square 1, Capital Square 2, Capital Quarter 1 and Capital Quarter 2 - too many Capitals!) unless we do get a couple of Barclays, HSCB or PwC to committ to the city.
And the more I think about it, it could actually work fairly decently if they get public transport to the bay working correctly. In the short term they could put on a more frequent and longer train service on event nights. Together with the Bay Car this would provide quite a lot of capacity. You've also got large car parks at Cardiff Waterside and at Atlantic Wharf (which remains under-utilised). And in the medium-to-longer term you've got the proposed tram-train (which such a scheme might help facilitate).
Having the conference centre near the bay would surely give a good impression of the city - at least in the summer. There would be quite a lot of restaurants nearby (Mermaid Quay) And it would provide a boost to getting more hotels down the bay. I recall 2 hotels were planned as part of the Igloo scheme but its gone quiet - this could give them some leisure and conference customers too. And could see a hotel in the old Merchant Place scheme too.
The entrance for the Arena would have to be as far as possible from Celestia - close to the car park pedestrian entrance, say. And I'd probably make the Pierhead Street and Bute Place roads narrower to accomodate a bit extra space for the building, and to allow wider pavements. But it looks like a possible plan to me.
