he Welsh Government could shortly start work on a new 90,000 square foot office scheme in the centre of Cardiff.

It is currently evaluating a shortlist of tenders from construction firms bidding to build the office block at a near five-acre parcel of yet-to-be-developed land at Callaghan Square which it acquired from MEPC for £7.2m with planning consent for 500,000 sq ft of new officews

It had been in negotiations with Cardiff council with a view to the authority acquiring the site for an asking price of at least £7.2m.

While not identifying what it would do with the site if acquired it could be an ideal location for the authority’s stated aim on realising a convention centre and indoor arena for the capital. It might now have to look at other locations if the Welsh Government, as now seems likely, proceeds with construction of the 90,000 sq ft building.

However, if Welsh Government doesn’t add to the planned building with further office developments it is still feasible that the site could still accommodate the council’s infrastructure requirements – particularly if industrial units adjacent to the land are acquired.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We are currently considering tender submissions for the development of building number one at Callaghan Square.”

If a construction company is appointed quickly the building, at a cost of around £15m, could be completed by the summer of next year – although towards the end of 2015 is more likely. If constructed the Welsh Government would have ownership of around 170,000 sq ft of grade A offfice space in the centre of Cardiff, having last year acquired a new 80,000 sq ft building at the Capital Quarter scheme from developer JR Smart.

Around Cardiff train station development company Rightarces Property, in partnership with Cardiff council, has plans for around 800,000 sq ft of office, leisure and residential space in a scheme known as Capital Square. Rightacres has submitted a planning application for Capital Square ‘sfirst project – a 150,000 sq ft grade office scheme

Chief executive of Rightacres Paul Mr McCarthy said: “The Welsh Government should focus on inward investors for its offices and leave indigenous office requirement to the private sector.

“What they did at Wentloog with the former G24i building was first class in having acquired the building were quickly able to conclude a deal with Pinewood Shepperton.

“They could not have done that if there was, say, a local engineering company tenant in the building.”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/commercial-property/welsh-government-moves-closer-new-6833093

this is great news.

In principle good news. But two things:

1) I'm a little concerned we're going to go from having too little Grade A space, to having a bit of a surplus.

2) Callaghan Square will look better when they sort the road layout out. But the square will be too large, and the planting scheme looks more suited to a business park than the city centre. All in all in could do with a denser structure.

according to that image, there is no road link from St Mary street to Callaghan Square.

re: #2 - I agree, I said in another thread we could perhaps build an office block on part of the square to create a more urban dense feel. As it stands the square is just to large for the height of buildings around it. This isn't the Rockefeller centre

I'm confused by the statement that the council want Cardiff to have an arena. Last time I checked we already had a rather large one of those.

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Citypedia Cardiff

Within the last couple of years I remember a council document that discussed rationalising the three routes under the railway: Bute Street, St May Street and Penarth Road. One suggestion was that they would focus on a specific mode of transport each: pedestrian, car and tram.

This was a very blue skies document, and I suspect the pic on walesonline is also pretty blue skies.

Be careful what I say here but hasn't the homeless centre put a bit of a dampener on development in Sunny Jim's square? Which offices are the Assembly leaving in order to make use of Callaghan? The ones in Cathays Park? I've always thought that the University might take those but with the drop in foreign students maybe there's no more expansion likely anytime soon.

So the Council/WAG are now property developers.

Stop for one momen.

Think ......in one's mind eye.....of a true switched on property developer.

Then pause again and think....in your mind's eye... of the type of person employed by the Council/WAG.

just let that mental image mature.

And relax.....

Now ....if f it was YOUR land, and YOUR PENSIONN/ FUTURE future, who would YOU want dealing with it?


That's s why the whole bloody concept is impoverishing.

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Let me spin that around URBANO, perhaps we should see what happens if Legal and General take over the Senedd for a while. Actually they probably wouldn't do any worse than welsh labour but that's besides the point

The offices aren't for them Frank, they are basically turning into a bit of a property developer to stimulate office development in the city and to provide space in the hope that some new employers come to the city, that plus retaining existing emoloyers who have space requirements. They purchased the land from MEPC and will then pay a developer to build it, then hope they find an occupier and I would imagine they'd then sell it on...hopefully for a profit! The same goes for number 1 capital quarter which they purchased from JR Smart, who have used the funds to then start on number 2.

I have the same concerns as you and everyone else, unless by the end of next year there has been some movement with occupiers taking space we will go from having hardly any to potentially too much.

I'm not that bothered by WAG doing this, as long as some news jobs come to the city and they make some sort of return on their investment. Whether either happen only time will tell of course.