Yeah, that's what I guessed. Confused me at first too, I wondered why they were building it so far from the tracks!

It's almost finished now:

Any new pics of the tower in capital quarter?

Here you go. In the background you can see the new incinerator going up too.

Click to enlarge.

Thanks, looking nearly complete now.

Not far off

http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=_CARDIFF_DCAPR_106139

Planning documents have been submitted for the next office building at Capital Quarter. It is to feature undercroft parking and be 6 - 7 stories tall. Unfortunately no documents are available online yet but the should be soon.

This is good news Cambo. perhaps this is a result of the WG purchasing the office block pictured above. Do you know which plot is being built? I think the space between the Driscoll buildings and the aforementioned would give some sort of critical mass to the development. As it stands it is quite desolate and wind swept....its hardly city centre

Looking at the original D&A statement, block G (to which this application refers) is between 1 Capital Quarter (block A) and Tyndall St. It was initially planned to be an 'apart hotel' rather than office space, so it seems as if some replanning has taken place.

I thought the plot between the Driscoll buildings and most recent build were earmarked for student halls, with the plans quite well developed.

Last time I went past there the diggers were working on a patch of ground immediately to the east of the recently completed office block (I think its called No 1)?. I had assumed that this was the footings for the new bridge over the railway. I can't recall where exactly but I'm sure I read that this was the next phase of Capital Quarter and that it was due to be erected by spring 2014.

I also recall seeing plans (which I think were passed) for student residences between No 1 and Driscoll Buildings and an MSCP to the northwest of No 1 (again I think this was given planning permission).

I have memories of the same things. The comment on the bridge is in the article linked to above.

Just going back on this thread it was me who posted the link regarding the bridge. See below -


As well as completing work on the under construction building, the deal with the Welsh Government will also see JR Smart constructing and financing an additional 75,000 sq ft grade A office scheme at Capital Quarter immediately on finishing the current project.

The new stock will boost efforts in marketing the Welsh Government’s enterprise zone.

A Welsh Government source said: “There has been some criticisms that the zone has been nothing more than a talking shop.

“However, the minister [Edwina Hart] and the zone’s board have been working extremely hard, underlined by this deal with JR Smart and agreement to bring much needed new grade A office stock to the marketplace.

“There is nothing better from a marketing perspective than showing to potential tenants fantastic new offices coming out of the ground, rather than artist impressions.

“The minister and the enterprise zone board has shown real imagination in this deal, which is a win win in that JR Smart can move quickly to build a new 75,000 sq ft office scheme.”

To support ease of pedestrian access from Capital Quarter to the centre of Cardiff a new bridge will be constructed over the railway line to near the John Lewis department store.

At a cost of around £2m the bridge will be funded by JR Smart, Cardiff council and the Welsh Government. It will be completed next spring.

Design and Access statement is now up for the new development:

http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-applications/files/0A0F43F3C39512DBC9209A04C17273A7/pdf/13_02267_DCI-DESIGN___ACCESS_STATEMENT-1488786.pdf

I'm not sure about the design.. I like the simplicity but it does look a bit squat to me. This could be a problem in the graphics however. In particular, in the graphic on the last page it looks to be similar height to Atlantic House next door which has 2 fewer storeys (5 - ground + 4) than the proposed 2 Capital Quarter (7 - ground + 6). In the diagrams it looks less squat and a little taller than Atlantic House.

The D&A statement also says the student accomodation between 1 and 2 capital quarter and Driscoll Buildings will start construction soon. Here is the D&A statement for that (from planning docs back in Jan 2013):
http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-applications/files/001A9373A2C255B7FF11B8EA0AE210B9/pdf/13_00130_DCI-DESIGN___ACCESS_STATEMENT-1057418.pdf
But it is worth noting that the decision on this is still PENDING! Thats 9 1/2 months later.. which seems pretty scandalous to me!

I can't get the links to work.It says 'this document is unavailable for viewing at this time'.


The Council planning website link:

  MAP OF PLANNING APPLICATIONS 


looks pretty good though. I never knew this existed. Needless to say, patience is required (and I don't have any) unless you have pretty fast broadband!

good find Cambo. If both of these do start soon then this will start to feel like something more than it currently is. we could also do with the footbridge being constructed.

Is there anything in this next phase that will add some sort of streetscape. My concern about this development and CSq is that there will be no place of interest after work finishes. Imagine the city on the weekend - it will be like that.

for reference, use Wizard's search with 02267 or 00130

edit:

if the student halls are starting soon, then surely the bridge will also need to be completed.

I think that's absoulutely true - but most cities have areas like that. If you spread the night-time economy too thinly it fails to function. I'm at a loss to think of anywhere in Europe where an entire city centre has a 24 hour economy.

Having said that it would have be nice to see more A1 and A3 elements worked in. There is a real danger of an evening "dead zone" dividing the city centre from the bay.

That was the point I was getting at ash. We need to connect the bay and town to include the night time economy as well

The City is getting significantly busier on weekends in recent years - with the exception of the areas around Moorgate and Cannon Street. Thats because of tourists going to St Pauls and the Tower; shoppers going to One New Change; Liverpool St Station;Spitalfields/Shoreditch just over the boundary in Hackney and Tower Hamlets; and new residential developments.

I think Cardiff's car economy makes areas like Cardiff Waterside seem dead on weekends (and sometimes even during the week!).. even where there are residents nearby. Perhaps the student accomodation will liven things up a little in Capital Quarter.

Perhaps a way to mitigate against a post 6pm black hole appearing between the city centre and the Bay is to build the convention centre and/or the new arena on the south side of CS/Dumballs Rd/Capital Quarter?

A convention centre and arena on CS south side for example would make redevelopment of the south side of Central Station a more attractive proposition and may give impetus to the 'heritage quarter' around Trade Street/Penarth Rd talked about in the Regaining Momentum document produced by the council.

Work on the bridge starts this month to finish next summer. I'm really looking forward to this. I hope it will be an important part of the city's cycling infrastructure, a route from Churchill Way to the Bay via Guildford Crescent that avoids the Bute Street and St Mary Street bridge junctions.

There is some chat in the article about it making it easier for people to buy lunch in town. Not quite, there is already a bridge there, this one just looks nicer. The increase in capacity is for things with wheels: bikes, prams etc.



http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/work-linking-office-scheme-cardiffs-6391237

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but the span of the old railway bridge is now gone. Must be a nightmare for those who have flats in and around Henke Court who have lectures in the Atrium.

Nice to see Number 2 has been given the go ahead and is scheduled to begin construction next month.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/jr-smart-gets-go-ahead-6697073

This will add to the crane count quite soon !

This mixed use development sounds very odd to me. Offices mixed with student accomodation, care homes, hotels, residential - presumably flats - just sounds like one big mess. Have we heard anything more about the 'creative units'?

Buildings and areas should be multi-use. that would ensure that areas, especially business areas, would not be dead after 18:00. I would like to see office blocks which also had residential and retail components such as newsagents, cafes, pubs, chemists, restaurants and the like. That would mean 24 hour activity.

I agree. In the UAE it's often the case that single towers are a mixture of hotel, residential, office and commercial.

The problem with everything south of the railway line in Cardiff is that it's so sterile. Outside of the Wharf pub there is practically nothing in the way of commercial or entertainment between the restaurant in the Radisson Blu hotel and Mermaid Quay (with the exception of the local shops on Bute St).

The area of Dubai my apartment was in plus the more commercially focused areas are exactly as you described Karl and as a result the places were full of life more often than not all day and night. The hotel I stayed at a different area of the city for my last month in the country had two towers, one being a hotel and the other an office, next to it another tower that was residential and again units of varying types at ground floor. Of course Capital Quarter is on a smaller scale but it's the same principle, mix it up a little and there's more chance of all the land being developed sooner for one and secondly make sure there are plenty of units within or underneath to allow people in the development or next to it to have somewhere to go.

On this subject I was curious if there was going to be such space in the buildings and thankfully there is.

If you look on the JR Smart website (they seemed to have abandoned the specific capital quarter domain) it does mention retail and leisure space in Number 1 in the text on the current projects page, I'm not sure about number 2.

http://jrsmart.com/current_projects.asp

http://jrsmart.com/number_one_capital_quarter.asp

There's some more images on number 2 here as well (apologies if anyone has already posted these links)

http://jrsmart.com/capital_quarter_cardiff.asp

http://jrsmart.com/number_two_capital_quarter.asp

Not to be too pedantic because you have a point, there is the wharf and holiday inn express on Atlantic wharf and a corner shop half way down LGA, oh and dont foret the red dragon center ;)

how long is this development planned for? will we move into a new architectural style (neo-Georgian?) by the time it is finished? So far JR Smart have finished 2 buildings with a third planned soon. There are 11 buildings in total and this development has been going on for something like 5 years already

I suppose it will dependent on how quick they let the buildings. One of the Driscoll buildings is still largely empty and they were completed about 2-3 years ago which gives you an indication.

I think once the bridge is built it will provide better connectivity. Also the infrastructure ie.roads, soft landscaping, public areas will be completed which will serve to make it look a lot more attractive to potential tenants.

I expect the student residences will be the next phase and there isn't any real reason to delay that as long as they have an operator lined up. I don't expect it to be complete for another 10 years though - there are too many competing schemes in Cardiff. If Capital Quarter was the only game in town for new Grade A office space it might be a different story but it's not.

It has taken an age.

Is there any news on the student blocks ? All I know is that planning permission has gone in but nothing more. It would be good to see them work on these two blocks the same time as Number 2, but is that likely ?

Looking at the recent planning application the two blocks (north block and south block) they are planning is covering what was blocks B and C near the railway and blocks E and F immediately behind Atlantic House.

So that leaves blocks H-L from the original plans, five buildings and if you go back to the original plans and look at the image in the very first post of this thread they were earmarking these final plots in phase 2 for some relatively big buildings. They did have plans for hotels as well, which have gone very quiet, as have all the other plans for new hotels in the city in fact (remember how many we had at one point).

Maybe 10 years is a realistic figure sadly Karl.

If current rates of progress are maintained, it'll be neo Charlestonian by the time that lot gets finished.

Heh compared to some Cardiff projects this is rapid! and surely capital no.1 should have a place in the guinness book of records for being constructed by one man and his hod carrier!! I salute you JR Smart you get things done!!

Sorry are people suggesting we use Dubai - a vulgar playground - as some kind of role model for Cardiff? It's a place built on oil wealth designed for billionaires.

So what if an area is quiet after 6pm? Isn't that generally the idea with most places? Obviously you have the night life in the city centre but that can only spread so far. This mix of care home, student property, offices and hotels looks an eccentric mess.

The care home element has been replaced by additional student accommodation - the elderly seemingly don't want to live next to 19 yr olds. But the mix of hotel, offices and student accom could work fairly well as together they will give a critical mass of customers for say a shop, a cafe and a bar.

It looks like an eccentric mess to you Frank, but mixed used schemes are common these days and Dubai was just used as an example. It could just as easily have been Manchester or Dublin.

Now I'm confused (doesn't take much!) the cladding on parts of the building have changed - are we going to end up with something closer to the original render. Anyway this from today...

I think that's the final product Paul. I very rarely look at renders and think the finished article will look similar - celestia taught me that

Looks like there is obviously still cladding to go in over the main entrance.

When I stick my eyes dead close to my desktop screen (the things I do for this forum...), I can see the faint lines of cladding already in place - so that's it me thinks.

Don't think it's not appreciated!! you may be right re the cladding but one things for sure if anything changes you wont miss any of the 'action' here!!

Looks about done to me, they are scheduled to hand it over in April so I guess there's just some internal works to do and that's one finished building ready for occupation.

Over the next few weeks we should see a start on number 2 as well.

looks a little soviet.

along with Ty Pont Haearn, Comrade Hart will be happy

Have they already found people to occupy this place? I hope the demand is there.

I live in Ty Pont so was interested to see this discussion. I have watched the Number 1 building go from foundations to finally being near-completion. Wish they'd hurry up and build the bridge, it's really inconvenient having to walk all the way round if you want to get to the Bay etc.
This is the building back in September 2013. (ladybird photobombed)


And below is a photo from today, 14th March 2014, which proves just how slow progress is.
They just painted on the car park lines and started landscaping. You might notice the footbridge is now missing..

Great! Will be good to see if you can get any photos of the bridge being constructed. Would be nice to see.

Nice one typontresident - great photos, oh and welcome to the forum

I tell you what, they can say what they want about Ty Pont but I wouldn't mind that view!!

took this pic today of bridge progress - ie not a lot!



mind you maybe it's the kind of consruction that will just kind of appear overnight?

The full text from this article has been posted on another thread, but I thought I'd put the link here as well seeing as this is the most relevant place for it.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/strong-interest-welsh-governments-speculative-6873146

In terms of number 1 being occupied it sounds like there's about to be some positive news with 70% of space being under offer apparently.

From what is in the article it seems that Finance Wales are taking some space, plus two other private sector tenants, one being an I.T. company (not quite fitting in with the purpose of the enterprise zone I know).

In addition it sounds like a student housing provider and a hotel operator are about to sign up for the scheme.

It all sounds like good news for the Capital Quarter scheme.

The identity of the I.T. company locating to Number 1 has been revealed today

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/fast-expanding-cloud-computing-security-solutions-7038497

Such jobs are always welcome, and it's nice to see a new entrant into the I.T. market in the area. Selfishly some more I.T. jobs in the city centre suits me

I'm curious about the Enterprise Zone purpose though. The 'professional services' part of the zone name clearly covers anything and there's never been any comment previously that it was to include I.T., which is a bloody wide sector in it's own right.

Really good news