Cardiffs old pub site set for a fresh start
Plans have landed to demolish a disused pub in Cardiff and replace it with 100% affordable housing, plus road, landscaping, and green upgrades. The applicant describes the derelict plot as an eyesore and argues the scheme would return a dead corner of the street to active use while delivering homes local families can actually afford.
The planning application, submitted to Cardiff Council, sets out a full redevelopment: clear the old building, prepare the land, and build new residential units managed by a registered provider. While the paperwork doesnt shout about a precise housing mix in public, the proposal frames the project as fully affordable from the outset, which usually points to a partnership with a housing association and Welsh Government grant support.
Beyond the bricks and mortar, the plan leans heavily on infrastructure. It proposes a safer site access, tweaks to junctions where needed, new footways, and space for bikes. Landscaping is not an afterthought either. The drawings trail new trees, planting beds, and a drainage strategy designed to handle heavy rain on-site rather than push it into the sewers.
Green measures are expected to sit under Waless Sustainable Drainage Systems rules. Since 2019, major developments in Wales need separate SuDS approval from the councils SAB (Sustainable Drainage Approval Body). In practice, that can mean permeable paving, rain gardens, swales, or underground storage crates to slow and treat runoff. The application indicates the scheme will be designed to comply with these standards.
Cardiff needs more affordable homes. Council reports in recent years have flagged rising housing pressure and lengthy waits for social rent, especially for family-sized properties. Converting a boarded-up pub into new homes is a small slice of that puzzle, but its the kind of infill project that can be built faster than a new estate on the citys edge, if the design and access issues stack up.
What the plan covers and what happens next
The submitted documents outline a package of works aimed at making the site fit for housing and safer for everyone who uses the street around it. Heres whats in the proposal and the process it must clear:
- Demolition and site clearance: The pub would be taken down, with surveys to manage any asbestos or contamination and plans to reduce noise and dust during the works.
- New homes: All units would be affordable tenure (social or intermediate rent, or low-cost ownership handled through a registered provider). The exact mix is to be confirmed through the planning process.
- Highway upgrades: A redesigned vehicle access, improved footways, and measures to help visibility and turning. Space for refuse vehicles and emergency access is factored in.
- Active travel: Secure cycle storage and better pedestrian connections are proposed to reduce car dependence and tie the site into the local network.
- Landscaping and amenity: New planting, boundary treatments, and outdoor spaces for residents. A management plan would look after trees and shared areas over time.
- Drainage and ecology: SuDS features to manage rainwater on-site, with planting aimed at attracting birds and pollinators. Lighting and planting plans are typically shaped to reduce impacts on wildlife.
- Energy and build quality: While full details are to come, affordable schemes usually target strong insulation, efficient heating, and low running costs for tenants.
As with any major scheme, residents can comment before the council makes a decision. Planners will weigh design, height and massing, privacy and daylight for neighbours, traffic and parking impact, servicing and waste, flood risk, contamination history, and how well the proposal fits local and national policy.
Parking is often the flashpoint. Affordable housing tenants still own cars, but not at the same rates as market-sale blocks. Expect a controlled parking ratio, paired with secure bike spaces and decent walkways. The goal is to cut car trips without creating overspill chaos on nearby streets.
Construction management will matter too. Demolition can be disruptive in tight urban streets, so a Construction Environmental Management Plan usually sets working hours, lorry routes, dust control, and how temporary scaffolding or lane closures will be handled.
If consent is granted, conditions will likely require final materials, landscape planting schedules, drainage details, and ecological enhancements before building starts. In Wales, the SuDS sign-off runs alongside planning. Developers often phase the build so the new access, drainage, and basic landscaping go in early to keep the site tidy and safe.
The wider policy backdrop is clear enough: Cardiff is trying to unlock brownfield sites for housing and raise design quality while improving walking, cycling, and bus links. A derelict pub turning into homes with safer crossings and greenery ticks several of those boxes, provided the scheme respects its neighbours and delivers whats promised on paper.
Theres no set start date. The timeline depends on how quickly the application moves through consultation, whether design tweaks are needed, and when funding is confirmed with the housing provider. If it stays on track, demolition could follow soon after permission and SuDS approval are in place, with build-out typically taking 12 months for a development of this scale.
For now, the file is in. The council will gather comments, commission its own checks on highways and drainage, and bring the case to a decision. If it gets the green light, the city trades a boarded-up building for much-needed homes, new planting, and safer streets at a spot that has been left behind for years.